If I Die Young
by YamiKitsuneKami
Summary: After two decades of peace, Konohagakure is fighting what would later be called The Second Great Shinobi war. Hamano Manami, a kunoichi from Uzushiogakure, is teamed with a band of unorthodox heroes, led by the little known Hatake Sakumo. A romance slowly blossoms in the heat of battle as the medic slowly loses who she once was. A story of Kakashi's parents. OFCxSakumo
1. Chapter 1

Its been a while, ne? Well here I am back with a new story. I hope you enjoy.

I do not own Naruto and his associated articles; only my OCs.

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The hot sun was the thought on everyone's mind today. The large shading trees of Konohagakure didn't seem to distract from the intensity either. This was especially true for the group of shinobi that stood apart from the villagers; all were shinobi of Uzushiogakure. Uzushiogakure was a longtime friend and ally of Konohagakure much like their founding clans, the Uzamaki and Senju.

The Uzamaki clan was a distant relative of the Senju clan. Senju Hashirama's wife, Senju Mito was an Uzamaki. In her youth, like many of her kinsmen, she had sported bright red hair. Many were paired with this physical trait, but not all shinobi from the Uzamaki clan had red hair. And not all shinobi from Uzushiogakure were part of the Uzamaki clan.

Hamano Manami was not part of the Uzamaki clan; in fact, she was only the third generation of shinobi in her family. Originally seafaring folks, the Hamano clan had fled to the area now called Uzu no Kuni during the feudal warring era. There had not been shinobi villages but rather massive clans for hire by any daimyo who dared to pay vast amounts of money, goods or treasure for their services. It was during this time that her grandfather volunteered himself to the nearest clan to learn the way of the shinobi. Years later, Uzushiogakure was founded.

The slender teenager was average height for a woman, deep brown eyes and straight dark blue hair. As a child, she had asked her grandmother why she had such a boring hair color when all of her playmates had flaming red hair. Her grandmother, a no-nin, had simply chuckled, "Your ancestors were said to have been favored by Kami no Mizu. He gifted them with hair the color of the deep sea, where the Hamano lived their long lives." Being five, Manami had taken a liking to this explanation. Now at seventeen, she laughed at her grandmother's elucidation, knowing now how genetics worked.

The Uzushiogakure shinobi stood in four rows of five, sporting their village's standard shinobi wear; blue pants and long sleeved shirts with dark grey flak jackets, colors that helped the sea farthing shinobi blend in best with their surroundings. There were, of course, variations in their wear; Jounin wore sleeve emblems denoting their rank on the upper left sleeve, Chuunin had white patterned collars on their flak jackets. There were not any Genin present in the group. Nor were there weapons openly exposed. Uzushiogakure shinobi were well renowned for their fuinjutsu or summoning jutsu. Out of the group, only the top ranked Jounin carried the gigantic scrolls on their back openly.

Manami was in the middle back of the four rows, standing solemnly. On either side of her were her Chuunin year mates, yet she was one of the youngest in the group. A month and a half stood between her and her eighteenth birthday. She was also in another minority of the group. She was one of only three females who had been sent.

Unlike Konohagakure, their village was not nearly as diverse as the others or as large. Uzushiogakure did not have a kage, but rather a shinobi council of elders. Three weeks ago, Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen had sent a courier hawk to the elders, requesting that they honor the friendship of their forefathers and send to him aid in the form of shinobi. The council had immediately agreed, as their bond with Konohagakure was strong, but had needed a week to deliberate who they would send, a week for their shinobi to prepare and another for the time it would take for such a large group to make it to the Hokage.

Many shinobi had been called before the elders, Manami included, to be interviewed and accessed for the task. It was unknown to the seventeen year old, why she had been specifically selected, but her hunch had been that it had to do with her knowledge and execution of her medical ninjutsu. Her teachers had praised her many times for it, claiming that she was one of the best in her year.

This in itself didn't speak to her as anything special since Manami was one of the only medically trained Chuunin her age. Many of her year mates had pursued more advanced fuinjutsu techniques instead. She has stated this to others often. Her sempai had complained in return that she sold herself short too often and called her pessimistic. Manami preferred the term realistic.

Although no one had been told the specifics of their mission, all knew the rumors. The most prominent rumor had been that the Hi no Kuni daimyo had ordered another war as the land was suffering from a famine due to the previous Great Shinobi War. And now, it was on the Hokage to prepare his forces for war. Other rumors spoke of economic disparity between the classes and even an all-out land grab. Regardless of the reason, Shinobi were needed and that was all that mattered.

Manami didn't want to seem fidgety, but the combination of the sun and the inactivity from the last half hour was making the sweat on her body pool grossly. It was uncomfortable to say the least. Her year mate Soujin caught her eye, the corner his lip twitching in amusement. The seventeen year old gave him a disapproving look and returned her attention forward. On her left, her other year mate Kenji gave a muffled snort. One of their sempai turned from the front and gave the three of them a reproachful look. Silence once again grasped the group.

Just when Manami was unsure if she could take the waiting any longer, two Konohagakure shinobi appeared before them, a man and a woman. Suddenly everyone seemed to be a little taller, their backs a little straighter. These two, whoever they were, held position. Their group leader, took two steps forward, preformed a bow and offered to them a scroll. Though she couldn't hear it, she could read the lips of the man who received the scroll 'Arigato, Tenzin-san.'

"Greetings friends." The man started, as he slipped the scroll out of sight, "we are honored by you and your village for being here as soon as you are. I am Mitokado Homaru and this is Utatane Koharu." His hand swept to the side, indicating the woman who was with him. "We are Sarutobi-sama's trusted council and we would welcome you to Konohagakure. Long have our villages been allies and may the relation continue on for all time. At this moment we are gathering the leaders of the companies that we will be assigning you to. Some of you will be grouped together and others will be the only one from your village. At this time, we request that you relax here so that we may easily find you when you are needed." He gave the group a single look over before turning, leaving with the woman and entering the tower.

Manami's year mates didn't take long to fulfill that command as they immediately slumped to the ground, letting out a fresh sigh. Others soon followed suit, some sitting right where they had stood, others seeking the comfort of shade. Manami, on the other hand took the opportunity to stretch her slightly stiff limbs and work the muscles to cool down. It wouldn't be long until they were called before the Hokage. In some respects, she was already lonely for her homeland. Mostly because of the heat, but she knew that over the next couple of weeks her body would adjust. It always did.

Within five minutes of relaxing, a man exited from the tower and called two from the group's names. He was a slight man, with long blonde hair slicked back and tied in a tight knot. He appeared to be the new errand runner that would bring the Uzushiogakure shinobi before the Hokage. The three met at the base and departed into the tall tower.

The pair did not appear again. The blonde man emerged again some time later and called a single name. Manami theorized that her fellow shinobi left the tower a different way with whomever they had been assigned to. The process of shinobi entering occurred another three times. Two groups of singles and a group of three entered before Manami's name was called.

She jerked her hand to acknowledge that she had heard him. With a few yards in front of Manami, her year mates halted her journey. Each clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Good luck imouto-chin." Soujin smiled, seeing Manami's scowl.

"Don't die." Kenji added giving her shoulder a firm squeeze.

"Speak for yourself Kenji; you're more likely to get into trouble than I am." She grumbled earning a smile from the taller man. "Make sure _YOU _don't die and perhaps I'll bother with seeing you when this is all over." Manami shook their hands from her shoulders as she continued to the tower.

"You're not going to get rid of me that easily," Kenji called after her, knowing that his teammate would smile.

As she reached the base, she could feel the blonde man's critical stare as he looked her over, his eyes lingering on her hair a moment too long. It was a common reaction from shinobi that didn't know her. Unlike most Kunoichi, Manami's hair was short. On her left side, her thin blue hair was braided into various strands with varying thickness. At the tips were beads: some were small and shimmery, others large wooden dowels that clanged silently against each other. As strange as that was, the opposite side was shaved, leaving patchy stubble and peach fuzz hair that barely covered her scalp in some places. Her hitai-ate sat to this side slightly.

Her escort pursed his lips slightly as he muttered for Manami to follow. Into the tower they went. It was dark in the stairway, Manami's eyes being unaccustomed to the light after spending an extended amount of time in the bright sun. It appeared to be a simple wooden corridor; slotted windows were high above the couple as the staircase wound its way around the building. They passed five landings on their way.

Though it had only been two minutes at the most, they had finally reached the top floor. It was a dark hall, with flickering overhead lights, electricity having only become a more common utility. Manami decided it made the most sense that the Hokage's office was on this floor. There were fewer entries in and out of the area. Very hard for assassins. Her ears picked up furious whispering and found that it quieted as they walked down the hall. They came from the door that appeared to be their destination.

The man who had escorted her knocked twice on the door, before opening it. "Hokage-sama, I have brought Hamano Manami as you wished." He entered the room, Manami following behind a step later. Centering herself in front of the desk, the blue haired kunoichi bowed deeply to the man.

"Thank you Kuroma-san, if you will wait outside for us to finish before fetching the next candidate." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the blonde man bow slightly before backing out of the room and closing the door. "You may rise Hamano-san." The Hokage instructed, his voice pleasant.

Slowly, the seventeen year old straightened and took in the office. It was a spacious room. Directly in front of her, behind a solid oak desk, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage sat. He was, in Manami's opinion, a very handsome man with dark brown hair and steady brown eyes. He was considered to be very young to have so much power, being only forty-two but his eyes showed age beyond his seemingly short years.

To his right, standing behind him was man. His most striking features were his cool black hair and eyes stared back at her in tight-lipped obvious dismay. He was tall, much taller than her five foot five; his body shape was hidden by loose dark clothes. Despite that, Manami could tell that he was well muscled. He sported a fan emblem on this black ensemble. Though she had personally never encountered one before, the clan's reputation often preceded them. This man was part of Konohagakure's Uchiha clan and he didn't seem very pleased with her presence.

To the left of the Hokage sat a temporary desk with the two shinobi who had greeted her group earlier, Mitokado Homaru and Utatane Koharu. They, like the Hokage, seemed a little more pleased to see her. Behind them was a bookshelf, full of tomes.

"She even wears jewelry in her hair, Hokage-sama. You really can't expect _me_ to _still_ take her to the front lines? She's probably one of those women who pride themselves on their looks than their skill. We cannot afford _her_ on the front lines. " The Uchiha male immediately argued, leaving Manami mildly surprised. Had this been what they had fervently been discussing before she entered the room?

The Hokage in turn didn't seem fazed in the least as he folded his hands before him, "Uchiha Akio-san." The man snapped his mouth shut. "I understand your worries, but she is the only choice, your opinion will not change this." Sarutobi turned his attention from the standing male back to Manami. "You will have to excuse him, Hamano-san; Uchiha Akio-san likes to talk out of turn more often than is appropriate." Manami nodded, not entirely offended.

"As I am sure you have already gathered, we will be sending you to the front lines with Uchiha Akio-san here, though he is not to be your platoon's leader. He is the second in command. Hatake Sakumo-san could not be here as his team is already on the front. He and your team will be responsible for Tactical Advancement. Their tasks are to establish a line, secure the area and to allow for our forces to advance, among other tasks. You, however, will be replacing their medic, who will be sent to another unit. Are you following me so far?"

Manami nodded in confirmation, "Very good. Despite what Akio-san might feel or think, you come with high recommendation from your sensei and sempai." He tapped the paper in front of him, "You have demonstrated leadership skills and strength in your medical ninjutsu that will serve well for this group, though your experience is lacking. This will, of course, change with the guidance of your team. You, Uchiha Akio-san and another will be leaving for the front line immediately, after you are equipped with proper gear." He gave her a warm smile, "Good luck, Hamano-san. You are dismissed."

Sarutobi Hiruzen returned to his paperwork, as Kuroma returned to the room. Uchiha Akio didn't waste any time as he left the tower, exiting through one of the large open windows behind the Hokage's desk. The seventeen year old followed somewhat reluctantly, as she felt it was disrespectful to the Hokage to come and go out of his windows.

Despite that, the Uchiha moved quickly after exiting the building, jumping from roof to roof, like he was trying to lose Manami. The blue haired kunoichi followed behind, steadily catching up. She wouldn't let him leave her behind.

She overshot when Uchiha Akio abruptly stopped, coming ahead of him by five feet. "Not bad for a chuunin, I guess," he mused to himself out loud. Manami didn't like him, his attitude being the most bothersome trait he had exhibited so far. "Well. Come on. We're going down to the barracks' tailor," he motioned to the building across from them, "he'll get you dressed properly." Akio gave her an up and down, "You're lucky to be so tiny, I'll bet you'll get new gear. I'm so jealous."

No. She didn't like him at all.

They descended to the ground having put distance between themselves and the Hokage tower. They were greeted by a man who look exhausted. He was a rounder man with a very heavy receding hair line. From the top of his ear he pulled a pencil and flipped open a notepad, "Another one for the base camp I suppose." He sighed.

"Tactical Advancement, actually," Uchiha Akio chimed in, sounding bored. "She'll need the two… no…better make it the three sets of the full gear and whatever else these medic types need. I'll be back to pick her up in about ten minutes or so." He was gone before either of them could argue.

"Tactical Advancement, huh?" he looked her over before shrugging, "Right. Well, better follow me. We'll get you outfitted." The tailor started down one of the halls without waiting to see if she was following. Manami didn't appreciate the way things were handled in Konohagakure, and hoped it was simply because they were in a time of war. The end of the passage opened into a storage room filled tall steel shelves with clothing. Everything was labeled and folded neatly: pants, long and short sleeved shirts, armor, vests, jackets.

The man, it seemed, didn't need to take any of her measurements as he was immediately in the rows examining and pulling clothing from the shelves. Manami followed behind quietly and took the things as he thrust them in her general direction. From what she could see, he was picking her size or whatever came closest to it. A couple of times he paused to pull something off the shelf but would shake his head and go to the next size up or down.

It felt a little ridiculous to be reequipped with clothing when her own would have served just as well. But, it was what the Hokage had ordered and she was expected to follow his commands while in Konohagakure. The seventeen year old must have been making a sour face, because the tailor chortled as he gave her the last piece, "You'd think as a girl you'd enjoy getting new clothes." this earned him an outright glare, "You needn't worry. Ol' Tama's eyes know your size and promise that every piece of equipment is necessary.

"The first set I gave you is for your general camp, loose and easy for a medic to work in, the flak vest is interchangeable with the next set, though the other is better armored. You're going to war and you never know the next time you'll be able to equip yourself.

"The second is for the field; typically, you will have to wear it when you are moving from campsite to campsite or in high frequency battle. The leg and arm guards are not required, but I know you medic types normally like to keep things at hand for emergencies. These have easy to open compartments on the inner side, convenient for access to senbon or whatever equipment you prefer.

"The third set is for reconnaissance, which you most likely will not need. However, it is a time of war so you often need to do things you wouldn't normally. Preparedness never hurts. Unfortunately, it is not as armored as the other two sets.

"Everything you have has been made as water resistant as we can make it for the conditions in Amegakure. We'll need to make a quick stop to get you specialized soap for your new gear. Any questions so far?"

Manami shook her head, already thinking of the new seals she would have to make to store all the extra stuff. It wouldn't take long; she just didn't like extra work. The blue haired kunoichi was glad she always planned ahead for the unexpected seals though. She would have to change into the field gear and rearrange her sealed gear before Uchiha Akio returned though.

They moved on to the next room where it seemed the soap and other smaller insignia were stored, including the Konohagakure hitai-ate. When the tailor reached for the hitai-ate, the seventeen year old finally spoke up, "Do I really need one of those?"

The man hesitated for a moment before picking it up. "Yes. Normally, we would not ask you to wear a village's symbol that is not your own, but in war, the less the enemy can target you for being different the better. Some of your colleagues were chosen for their summoning techniques right? If the enemy can pinpoint you as the target, they will stop at nothing to make sure you are the one who dies. And think of it this way, if you look the same as your teammates, how will they know who to target?"

His argument made sense, though it wasn't completely convincing. Begrudgingly, Manami accepted the hitai-ate and soap, muttering how she would need to change into the field uniform. The man nodded and clapped her shoulder reassuringly before he left her in the storage room to change. The air of discomfort remained as an unforeseen weight seemed the crash on her shoulders. This war would be life-changing, starting with her identity it seemed. Reluctantly, she changed her clothes.

The pants were starchy, refusing the fold normally against her shins their color a dark grey. The waist fit perfectly though. It seemed the tailor did have a good eye for size. Over the starchy shins went the white leg guards. The smallest latch felt a little loose but it didn't slide when she moved her legs as if she were running. It would do.

The shirt came next. It was a mossy green. The sleeves were too long; they covered all the way to the center joint of her ring finger. She really hated to roll her sleeves, but until she had time to adjust the hemming, it would have to be rolled. The shoulders were on the wider side too. Over the shirt went the heavier of the vests. It reminded her of the old armor the shinobi had worn before the days of hidden villages. The buckles were on the side, making it awkward to fasten up on her own.

Before she finished with the arm guards, she removed a scroll from her hip pouch and unrolled it, eyes skimming until she found the correct symbol, she pressed her free hand against it, releasing the seal. Another scroll appeared from the mark, leaving an empty holding symbol on the first scroll. Placing that to the side, she moved onto the second scroll, unrolling it until she came upon empty space.

Though ink was easier, blood sealed much better and was harder for an enemy to break. It was one of the first lessons they learned as genin of Uzushiogakure. Use to this type of abuse, she bit the outer part of her thumb where the skin was thinnest. In less than a minute, she had written the three signs she would need to seal the new clothes. She quickly shook the paper to get the blood the dry a little quicker. The sealing was even quicker. With practiced ease from years of training, the sets were stored, followed by the second scroll with the first scroll finding its way back into her hip pouch. She attached the arm guards as she walked.

When she emerged from the back rooms, Uchiha Akio was waiting patiently for her with another man. The new man was, thankfully, not nearly as tall as the Uchiha but rather a couple inches taller than her. He had a tanned baby face with warm brown eyes and brown hair pulled back into a bushy ponytail. Both men were wearing the field uniform, though the Uchiha's insignia was present on Akio.

"See, Umino-san? I told you she looked weird." Akio smiled, as the slightly older Jounin gave him an incredulous look. The brunette seemed use to the Uchiha's antics. "I'm just teasing, Umino-san. I'm sure she looks normal compared to people from Uzushiogakure, right Hamano-san?" Manami gave him a scowl.

"Gomen nasai, Hamano-san. This idiot doesn't have enough brain cells capable of telling him that he's being rude. He'll either grow on you or you'll learn to ignore his presence like the rest of us here in Konohagakure." Umino-san stated.

"HEY!" The Uchiha tried to protest before he was cut off again by the darker skinned shinobi.

"I am Umino Namazu. I will be one of your teammates, along with this idiot over. If you do decide to kill him on the way, I happen to know a couple of good places to hide the body." He smiled reaching for his pack that was on the ground in front of him. He settled it on his shoulders, and looked between the stoic teammate from Uzushiogakure and his longtime friend from Konohagakure. "I'm ready whenever you are." Manami shrugged.

"Don't you have someone you need to say goodbye to," the black haired shinobi cooed, a knowing look in his eyes.

"She already knows I'm leaving. And besides, she's busy working. We have our duty and she has her's." He stated firmly, sounding like he was the one that needed to be convinced.

Manami contemplated that it was either a relative or his lover. She hoped he wasn't one of those people that relied on their humor to combat loneliness. At least, he was much better than the tall Uchiha man, who seemed to grate everyone he encountered.

"His girlfriend is a teacher at the academy. Pretty enough I suppose. Not my type. She might be your type though. You seem like you'd go for women." Akio asserted, directing his comment towards the Uzushiogakure kunoichi.

Now he was simply trying to get a reaction out her, Manami was sure of it. "Do you ever not know when to shut up," she scolded, raising her blue eyebrows, "because I'd be more than happy to teach you how."

He smiled, getting the expected response, "Oh. So you like men. You could have said so." Perhaps ignoring him would be the best option, Manami contemplated.

"We're losing daylight here. We have to go the farthest out of all of the groups, so we're expected to deliver information sensitive scrolls along the way per Hokage's orders." Umino Namazu reprimanded.

"Yes. Yes. We'll head out now, Umino-chan. I am only teasing Hamano-san. She's going to be the youngest in our group and I want her to feel like we're family. You can be the momma and I'll be the poppa," Uchiha Akio crooned. "We're going to be heading towards the West on the road for about a four hour's run before turning off to the Northwest." The black haired shinobi explained as he shouldered his own pack.

They started to the western gate. Reflecting upon it, Manami realized that this could be the only time she would ever be in Konohagakure again. She thought it was realistic since the enemy had a tendency to incapacitate the medic first. She emerged herself for the first time in her surroundings.

Children in the streets chased each other in a game. The yells of a street vendor rose over the normal chatter as a cat streaked away with a prize piece of fish in its mouth. A mother was trying desperately to soothe her fussy child, whose face contorted as it let out a wail. Even the Hokage monument that guarded over the village caught her attention briefly, her eyes memorizing the faces. Besides the uncomfortable heat, Konohagakure seemed to be an excellent place to reside.

When the massive western gates loomed closer, the three slowed to inform the guard of their departure. It was at this time that Umino Namazu was thrown to the ground by a brown blur. He grunted bearing the force as brown blur turned into a woman. "Did you think that you could just leave without saying goodbye to me," she demanded, as she shook the pinned man.

"I tried to tell him Kaiso-san but he wouldn't let us take a detour by the academy." Akio bemoaned, "He was so lucky that you had the will to meet with him before he left." Namazu's turned his face to glower at his teammate.

"Well, you're not going to get off that easy Namazu." The woman stated as she stole a long kiss from the pinned Jounin. The tanned shinobi returned the kiss with equal intensity earning cat calls from nearby passing shinobi and civilians. They knew that it would be a long time before the couple would see each other again with the ongoing war.

Chastely, the woman pulled away, smoothing her hair back around her ears. "I'm going to miss you more than you can imagine." Kaiso-san murmured, climbing off the Jounin. They both stood facing each other, hands entwined. "I know that it seems overly sentimental but…" her face was a hot blush, "I think we should exchange hitai-ate. That way, you can't break your promise to return mine to me." Tears were pooling in the corner of her dark brown eyes.

"I couldn't think of anything more appealing." Umino Namazu replied, kissing the back of her weather worn hands. Silently, they removed their hitai-ate and tied it around their lover's forehead. The one on Kaiso-san slipped a little, while it was evident that Umino's was tied a little too tightly. For another moment, they embraced tightly as if they were trying to absorb each other.

Finally they let go, Kaiso sniffling, "I love you. Come back to me safely. I- I need to get back to work."

"I love you too." Umino replied, his voice tinged with sorrow. "Until we meet again." He stood quietly until Kaiso-san disappeared from sight.

Manami had not expected to see this scene in public, but she didn't have a lover of her own. How would she know that she wouldn't have reacted the same way seeing her partner leave? Somberly, she patted the man's shoulder turning to find their Akio, who had wandered off.

Uchiha Akio was smiling and nodding to his comrades, clearly sharing a joke. He didn't even pause when he saw her staring at him. Finally he thanked the men who were relaying their message for the gate to be opened. "Kaiso Sei. She's been a spitfire ever since we were in the academy." He smiled as the Namazu finally caught up.

The gates opened, creaking loudly. "Well, I think it's about time we got this show on the road, hm?"

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Umino Namazu: Ocean Catfish. This is my name for Iruka's father for anyone who might wonder. We'll be seeing plenty of him.  
Uchiha Akio: Akio is bright man. He is one of my OCs.  
Kaiso Sei: Seaweed Sprite. This is my name for Iruka's mother before they married.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Naruto and his associated articles; only my OCs.

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Three flashes of grey streaked past an old man who was guided an irritable donkey pulling his goods. The quadruped pulled back fearfully his ears flattening against his head. The man bellowed for the beast to stop being stubborn. A heavy swat on its backside followed. Finally, the creature started to pull the cart again. Down the wide dirt road they continued, the grey streaks soon forgotten.

Two hours they had been on the road and the group was already ahead of Akio's first prediction. The Uchiha had wondered how the medic would fare with a steadily fast pace as this. In fact, he had heard Namazu ask her if she had needed rest. She didn't responded verbally, but he assumed she declined the rest. Thus far, Manami had proven not to be a burden. The Uchiha doubted this would always be the case. He rolled his neck, checking on the seventeen year old. She was behind him to the left; her braided hair was flying in the wind. Her face was passive. Manami appeared bored.

Even now Akio didn't agree with the Hokage's decision to send Hamano into the front lines. The Uchiha had been presented with her information the week prior. At first, he had thought it a joke. He knew the Hokage had purposefully delayed his return so that he could escort the replacement medic but it was a woman. The more he read about the substitute, the more Akio concerned he become.

This Hamano person had no front line combat experience, it was written all over her records. No matter how impressive her achievements were, there had been a few, she was still a green kunoichi. Just in general, he didn't think women should be on the front. They were distractions and liable to be controlled by emotion, his understanding stemming from having three older sisters.

Back from his thoughts, he noted that the team rarely met anyone on the road. Now would likely be the only time he and Umino would have to brief 'the girl'. Akio was sure of it. Despite still being against Manami's presence, the Hokage's orders _were_ absolute. Akio waved her forward, so she was astride with himself and Umino.

"Since we did not have time for briefing before leaving Konoha, Umino-san and I will take this time to explain the function of our squadron. If you have any questions, speak up." Manami nodded as Akio continued, "Squadron Hatake is our codename. We are, as you have already been informed, responsible for the Tactical Advancement of the Konohagakure forces. This means that we are the first on the line, carving a line in enemy territory for reinforcements to occupy. This comprises of scouting surrounding areas, finding a position with tactical advantage and securing it. Do you follow so far?"

Manami's face was thoughtful, but she nodded. Namazu picked up where Akio had left off. "These will not be your duties though. As a medic, you have your own priorities. You will be responsible for establishing and maintaining the medical bay until reinforcements are able to fill it themselves. This means you have to make requests for any supplies. A courier team will transport the materials you need on a biweekly basis, so make sure you have enough. We won't be able to send you or others to fetch more.

"You will also be responsible for upholding the health of our squadron. Including the three of us, there are nine others. This is your number one priority. Our group can't afford to lose anyone. Hatake-san will provide you with more detailed information later."

"Our objective is," Akio continued, "to expand our forces into Amegakure. So far this has been Konohagakure's main concern. Though our enemy doesn't have the numbers that we do, they all excel at water-based jutsu. This brings them to an advantage due to the constant wet conditions of their country. It seems to always rain. We've done our best to waterproof our gear but you're going to have to get used to being wet."

Manami licked her lips, "The water won't be a problem to me but there are _other _countries?" Both Umino and Uchiha looked at the seventeen year old tersely. She caught on quickly.

"There has been movement from Sunagakure and Iwagakure. Our spies report neither has yet openly advanced. But there is possibility that they are already in field." Akio asserted.

"So, we're looking at a scenario where there could be four different villages involved. What is our objective?" Manami was straight to the point.

Akio was sure that she had heard the rumors. Many had. Manami didn't seem to know which to believe. She was an outsider in this respect, even if she was an ally. "This is a war of protection. Rising factions have come to challenge the country due to economic disparity. They are hiring shinobi to even the odds.

"At least, that's how it started. Recently, we have found that Amegakure is no longer a hired village, but an uncontrolled force looking to expand its boundaries without restraint. Their leader Sanshouo no Hanzo poses a substantial problem. But you'll hear more about this from our commander. I will leave it at that."

His tone signaled the end of talking, leaving the Uzushiogakure kunoichi to her thoughts. It was clear that there was not a straight answer to this war. Many outside factors were involved. Konohagakure was responding to those problems as they occurred, at least that is what the Uchiha had implied. He was withholding information. How important it was she couldn't tell. Her priority revolved keeping her comrades alive.

The sun was now past its zenith, descending rapidly as the team turned north, taking route off of the road. The tree tops zoomed past the trio, the forest floor empty. It wouldn't be long until they reached the main camp. There they would deliver information from the village before moving onto their own camp. This would be the only place that Manami would be able to request supplies. Having no idea what would be left by her predecessor, Manami started to contemplate what would be required.

Though she had never been on the front line, she had the basic knowledge of how to start a medical tent. From there, she decided what would likely be needed. She would need _at least_ two sets of surgery tools, many rolls of bandages and anti-toxins. Needles were next. As a medic kunoichi, she knew of the dangers involved with blood loss; shock, weakness, fatigue, confusion, vasoconstriction, tachycardia, tachypnea and finally death. This would be a problem that even blood pills wouldn't solve.

As strange as it would seem to even a normal medic, the blue haired woman had taken the last couple of years to stockpile her own blood. As a carrier of _O-_, Manami's blood would be acceptable to anyone. _O_ was a universal donor. Her blood lacked the protein that would cause the body to attack itself if it was administered to positive blood type. It was also one of the rarer blood types, most shinobi having the _A_ or _B_ genotype.

The scroll that held her reserves was an article that she carefully guarded to avoid tampering. Blood could be just as deadly to a person as a kunai. For this reason, Manami had keyed the scroll to react only to the correct combination of hand seals, her chakra and her blood. She had seen the effects of tainted blood. Disease was easily spread this way. And while blood poisoning was treatable, it was extremely dangerous and painful for the one infected.

An operation table would be the next. Metal preferable. It was easiest to disinfect and could serve multiple purposes once the camp was secured, ranging from surgeries to examinations. Comfort wouldn't be significant in this situation. It would be unlikely that Manami would have to use it, as she would be in the field more often than not.

The Uzushiogakure kunoichi was forced out of her thoughts, her hand darting into her hip bag. A kunai emerged in a flash, deflecting a thrown shuriken. It embedded into a branch as she retreated with her comrades. They each had a similar weapon at hand, eyes searching the forested area for the attacker.

"_Oi!_ It's Umino Namazu and Uchiha Akio. You dolts need to open your eyes before attacking." A black haired man appeared from a row of trees, red eyes flashing over the group. Another Uchiha. "I heard you'd be coming through this way cousin, but I didn't expect your new medic to be a twelve year old boy. Poor thing looked like he was about to-"

"Cousin, can't you tell a lady when you look at one? Being away from the village must be hard on your eyes. Perhaps it's time for you to retire, hm?" Akio interrupted, as he deposited the kunai he held into his weapon's pouch.

Two more shinobi joined the new Uchiha. They appeared to be Genin, twelve year olds who had yet to reach puberty. The taller of the two, a blonde haired boy, pulled out the embedded star and tossed it to the shorter black haired boy. The two were nervous, their hands fidgeting. Manami assumed the Uchiha male was their sensei, from the way they looked to him for guidance.

"A woman? Can't be. He looks the same as my students." Manami scowled. "Ah, now I see it. Only a woman could look as if she were cooking you alive." The man turned his attention away from Manami, "I suppose you are headed for the main encampment. We'll accompany you there, to ensure there aren't any more mishaps."

"Do as you wish, we could handle them either way, Hiroto." Akio responded, motioning for his companions to continue. They rushed through the trees making up for time lost.

"I wouldn't doubt that you could." Hiroto Uchiha affirmed, "I'm more worried about any would be assailants than I am about you. It's mostly green Genin around this part, looking to do their part in the war. And they tend to be as hasty as my students. If they see the three of us escorting you, they will leave you be."

Akio's only reply was a click of his tongue. He didn't care what his cousin did. The shinobi had other things to worry about. And Umino trusted Akio's judgment.

Manami, on the other hand, could feel the man's eyes on her or more specifically her hair. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see his eyes narrowing on the beads. He was wary of them. It was only when Hiroto reached out to touch one that Manami reacted, slapping his hand away. "Don't touch me." She hissed.

He snorted, "Yes I can see that. You've got some nasty secrets hiding in those beads. I can see the seal and chakra, but I've no idea what they are. Won't you tell me?" The man was being overbearing and Manami didn't like it.

His red and black eyes spun, making the kunoichi momentarily confused. _'What does he want me to tell him?'_ "I-?" Mid-thought, Manami was knocked aside, her mind coming back after the eye contact with the Uchiha had been broken. Hands were on her shoulders, balancing her, as the haze started cleared.

"**THAT IS ENOUGH**." Akio roared, Manami realizing he was the reason for the break. Namazu gripped her shoulders, as she regained her strength. Her confusion dispelled, as the Uzushiogakure shinobi witnessed the formerly carefree man shove his cousin against a tree.

"I put up with your behavior because we are related, but I will not stand around to see you misuse your power against an ally! You _never_ use _that_ Genjutsu on an ally. I don't care if you're curious about a technique or are '_just having fun'_. If I ever and I mean ever see you do something like this again, I will relieve you of your eyesight and bad habits. Do I make myself clear?" Akio's voice was barely above a whisper but everyone could hear the exchange. His words made the hair on the back of Manami's neck rise.

"I u-understand." Hiroto choked.

"Get out of here. Go back to your post; we don't need your assistance." The Uchiha ordered, releasing his cousin. Hiroto scrambled away, his students following after him. "Coward." Akio sneered, spitting in the direction Hiroto ran. It was an unforeseen side to Akio. Manami had found it hard to imagine the man as being serious.

Akio turned to the blue haired kunoichi and bowed, "Please forgive me. Hiroto is my cousin and I treated him lightly despite his offense towards you. It was inappropriate of him. I do not condone his behavior towards you and respect your wish to keep your secrets your own. If we had the convenience and the time, his punishment would have been more severe."

"It is fine." She muttered, wishing forget the incident. "We should move on."

Umino gave her shoulder a last squeeze before releasing his supportive hold and taking the lead of the group. Akio and Manami followed. The silence that ensued was heavy but tolerable. A half hour later, they stood before the entrance to the main camp.

In spite of the sun dipping below the horizon, the camp was bustling with people. Namazu and Akio were not surprised, but Manami was fascinated. It was like a hive, every worker knowing their destination yet managing to avoid collision with ease. The trio proceeded to a quieter section of the camp, but the air was heavy. Though she couldn't see them, the kunoichi could feel eyes everywhere, watching them suspiciously.

The three parted ways a moment later after the older shinobi found a guide for Manami. Umino and Uchiha left to report to the leading authority in the camp, while Hamano was led to the supply chief. Yuji was the name of the shinobi quartermaster; a quiet man with brown hair and dark orange eyes. He was quick and efficient, leading her through the supplies' tent with two clerks, consulting Manami occasionally for certain sets of items before nodding to the a clerk who would pull the scrutinized items from storage.

Neither of the clerks or the quartermaster were proficient with sealing jutsu. A large back scroll was given for this purpose, leaving the blue haired woman's own scrolls free of burden. They cleared the area, leaving the Uzushiogakure kunoichi to her seals.

There didn't seem to be much of a schedule now that they were in camp. Manami took her time, carefully documenting and sealing items into the scroll. The sun set long before she finished.

Manami sighed from fatigue as she wiped the excess ink from her hands, satisfied with her handiwork. Her body and mind were tired after a week's worth of non-stop traveling. Her chakra was untouched as usual. Even as a child, Manami had an abnormally high amount of chakra and now that the ocean of energy had been paired with precise control, she never seemed to run out. It was one of the elements that set her above other medics in her class, her ability to continue treatments when others' chakra had run dry.

But like all good things, it came with drawbacks. Her Genjutsu was a joke and her strength dismal. The majority of her ninjutsu were medical related and what wasn't medical was considered average, in most cases. She theorized that her water jutsu could be an advantage in this war but she suspected, as a front line medic, she was not to focus on battle. Manami did have speed and wit on her side a major contribution to her Chuunin status. She severely doubted that she would ever make Jounin rank though.

Those thoughts aside, the blue haired kunoichi knew that she would have to relocate her team members to make their next move. Locating Squadron Hatake would be their next priority but their location was unknown. She hoped that Akio and Namazu, during their meeting, would learn their destination, even if it was vague. If not, they undoubtedly would be stuck at the camp for a while longer.

Setting off, she didn't see Yuji or his clerks. It wasn't too strange after seeing how busy the camp was, but now she was on her own. Moving through rows of tents, some shinobi would pause and watch her walk by. Others would flat out ignore her, caught in their own worlds. Adding to the confusion was a dog. He was a medium sized breed with wiry grey brown hair and large brown eyes; its nose was black. Around his neck was a thick blue hitai-ate that served as a collar, though no name tags or identification was visible. Manami wasn't sure where he had come from.

At first, she tried to ignore the dog. He sniffed at her leg and then would wonder to a tent and sniff around there. But whenever she moved on in her search, he was automatically at her heel or close behind following. After a while, he would nudge at her hand, inciting an absentminded pet or whack her leg with his tail. He was more than likely someone's ninken. Someone's overly _friendly_ ninken she decided, when the wiry hound pushed its nose between her legs.

She stepped away and shook a single finger at him, "No." The dog smiled at her or at least seemed to. It was a bit unnerving. She liked dogs in general, though she had never had one as a pet. This dog seemed different though. Like it knew what it was doing. Ninken _were_ renowned for their intelligence, so there was a chance it knew. Perhaps she was more exhausted than she had originally thought.

The wiry hound started to playfully bite at her new flak vest, pulling her towards the southern side of the camp. It became clear that he was trying to lead her. "What? You want me to follow you?" He yipped in response, his tail waving patiently. Her thin lips pursed at the dog, "Fine but don't expect me to be excited." The dog gave an exaggerated impression of rolling its eyes, before trotting down the rows of tents.

The grey brown hound seemed to know where it was going. It didn't sniff the air or the ground to find its way. In fact, it seemed to be observing all the people that it passed, like memorizing faces. Every once in a while, a shinobi would pat the dog's head as he passed by or acknowledge him with a curt nod. It was clear that these shinobi were either used to his presence or knew the dog's owner well.

When Akio and Namazu emerged from a tent, they weren't surprised to see the blue haired kunoichi. Akio smiled as he patted the dog's head, "I see Yoko found you. I didn't think he would take long. He's a top-notch tracker." The dog preened visibly from the praise. "We're going to rest here for three or four hours before heading out. I would suggest you get some sleep while Umino-san and I work out final details. Yoko is our guide to camp."

The brown eyed woman nodded, as she shimmied the scroll from her back. A quick sleep would do her well if they were to travel at night. Words were exchanged, as the trio decided to meet three hours by the gate they had entered. The three separated, though the ninken chose to stay with Manami. Together, they found a quiet corner to the side of camp and settled in for a short sleep. Manami leaned against a wall, legs stretched out comfortably with the scroll's strap wrapped tightly in her left hand. Her other hand settled on Yoko's neck, the dog resting its head on her lap.

While it hadn't seemed like much time, Manami was gently waked by Yoko licking the palm of her hand. Sighing, the kunoichi stretched and scratched behind the hound's ear. Though she doubted that she would have slept through her set three hours, the kunoichi was upset. Manami had slept a lot deeper than what was safe. She would have to be more conscious of her condition to avoid sleeping this heavily in the future. Yoko nudged her with his head reminding her of their deadline. The kunoichi climbed to her feet, rolling the scroll onto her back once again and headed for the gate.

Neither the Uchiha nor the Umino were at present when she arrived. They _had_ said that it could take up to fours, but she mused that it was better early than late. Manami at least had the insight to move her travel rations from her standard Uzushiogakure uniform to the Konohagakure field one. From the vest, she produced a slightly squished grain bar. It was a mixture of various grains, used to fill the stomach, fruit for sweetness and vitamins and honey to keep it all together. Her body heat must have warmed the honey a bit too much, as the bar collapsed. She quickly scarfed it down.

Her stomach growled, wanting more. Frowning she fetched another from her vest and set to unwrap it when the smell of food became prominent. Umino Namazu had appeared next to her, holding a bowl of steaming food. "I figured Akio would have forgotten to mention to visit the cook's before we left. He forgets about his subordinates at times. I hope you like Saury and rice. It's all they had."

The bowl was handed over to her, a salt-broiled fish staring up at her from a bed of rice. She didn't want to admit it to the tanned shinobi, but it was one of her favorite dishes. Her no-nin cousins were still fisherman and would bring her grandmother plenty of fish from their daily load. "Thank you Umino-san. It looks good." She murmured.

"You're more than welcome." He contemplated for a moment, "May I give you some advice, Hamano-san?" Manami looked up from her food and nodded. She was puzzled to his need. "I don't want to seem rude, but about our camp… you'll be the only female there and I don't want you to feel uncomfortable. If you need to talk or have questions, I'll be there. The others, apart from me and Hatake-san, like to be a little over malicious to the green shinobi, as we've all been assigned together multiple times.

"I don't think Akio meant to forget about the food but I don't want things to happen like this in the camp. I want to look out for you as your Sempai. So don't let the others bully you or tell you what to do. You answer to Hatake-san alone as an ally from Uzushiogakure, not a Konohagakure shinobi." He bowed his head in apology, "Sorry Hamano-san, I've kept you from your food. Please eat."

A brief look of amusement crossed Manami's face before she started on the warm meal. In some ways, Namazu was still worried. The Uzushiogakure girl seemed nice… maybe nice wasn't the right word. Polite was a closer fit. She wasn't talkative and followed orders a little too well. She also gave off a vibe of unfriendliness, though he suspected this had less to do with not liking people and more to do with her introvert personality.

As an analyst, he had spent time studying personality traits and their connection to developing shinobi. It was how he had met Sei. She was an assistant instructor at the academy when he had been studying children's behavior and personality traits. Some highly intelligent shinobi would often exhibit introverted personality traits; reveling in time spent alone and displeasure in spending time in large groups of people.

Manami had exhibited some of these traits. Even as he had spoken to her moments before, he could see her discomfort battling with her need to be well-mannered and attentive. Or the way she had found a quiet place in the busiest part of camp away from the beaten path of people. A place where no one would speak to her. He would mention it to Hatake-san later until then he would continue to observe.

When she had finished, Manami offered the bowl to Yoko. The hound happily cleared the bowl of any leftovers. Akio appeared next. He was finished in camp and accompanied by four shinobi who would be traveling with the medic who was leaving the camp. Things progressed quickly from there as the team set out for squadron Hatake's newest location.

Yoko took the lead, with Akio following directly behind. Umino and one of the new members flanked the Uchiha, leaving the remaining three to close the formation from behind. Though it was a highly volatile position, Manami took the rear. No one seemed to mind or care that the replacement medic took the back, apparently assured that she wouldn't have a problem there.

The pace they set was much faster than what the trio had ran on their way to the base camp. And it was completely quiet. Every step was soft, barely noticeable to even the trained Kunoichi's ears. Silence and speed were their main objectives tonight.

Every once in a while, Yoko would change directions on them, turning the team hard to the left or right. The team followed easily. It seemed that Yoko was intent on confusing anyone that tried to follow them by backtracking continually and taking detours. Despite that, they made good time.

Four hours after departing their pace slowed until they came to a stop. The hound sniffed the air and then the ground. Whatever it was, it seemed that he had found what he was looking for. Yoko let out a long monotone howl, the tone grating on everyone's ears. The flicker of an illuminated camp appeared beyond the trees before disappearing again. A Genjutsu. A very strong Genjutsu. Manami was in awe. She had never seen such a complicated illusion or anything even close. She was glad that Konohagakure were her village's ally in an instant.

The howl died off, though the ninken seemed very pleased with himself. The Genjutsu opened, allowing the newcomers to enter what the illusion hid, the Squadron Hatake's camp.

* * *

Thank you for reading chapter two, though it took so long to be produced.

Reviews and critiques are appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Naruto and his associated articles; only my OCs.

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Squadron Hatake's camp was comprised of ten beige tents lined in a semicircle. Unlike the base, there weren't any bustling shinobi or sounds. It was quiet and could have been mistaken for abandoned if not for the light glow coming from some of the shelters. In the center was a banked fire pit, glowing embers peeking through the soot and ash. No smells drifted from the camp.

The shinobi were quick to enter through the opening in the Genjutsu. Manami noted as the last person through that the barrier closed after her, leaving a shimmery appearance to the air. The complexity to create such a jutsu was astounding; the chakra used to create it was undetectable. The six shinobi headed toward camp with Manami trailing after, her duty dictated her greeting her new commander and relieving her predecessor from his station. The mystery of the barrier would have to come later.

From the largest of the tents emerged a black haired individual and upon closer inspection, it was _another _Uchiha. Sourly, Manami wondered exactly _how _many members there were of this particular clan, this being the third she had directly encountered in a span of less than twenty-four hours.

He was stoic, looking over all of the shinobi, his eyes briefly resting on her before moving on. He did this with every member of the troop. "Greetings. I suppose you're here to relieve Sho, hm?" His face was deep and gentle, "Hatake-taichou is out on patrol with the others right now, so you'll have to wait a bit. They're due back in an hour or so."

That explained why the camp was abnormally quiet. Manami rolled back her shoulders, her back cracking from the motion. Namazu looked at her and grinned a little. He had been acting strangely since the main base or so the kunoichi thought. The other Uchiha, Akio, approached a tent, motioning the blue haired woman over. Manami was quick to respond, wearily wondering what the Uchiha wanted.

"There's no sense in standing around waiting for the captain to get back." Akio surmised, as he led the medic into the shelter. It was a supplies tent stacked high with crates. In the center there was a path, just wide enough for a single person to walk through. Past the wooden boxes along the back wall was a cot and writing desk somehow crammed into the small space. It was claustrophobic. The Uchiha sat on the desk, motioning for the kunoichi to take the cot.

The cot was too small for Manami to simply sit. Briefly, she struggled in the severely confined space to get the back scroll off without disturbing the supplies lining the walls. The scroll was laid on the bed first, followed by the stiff kunoichi. She dreaded what the Uchiha would say next, knowing what his words would be.

"I'm sorry that this is the best we can do for now. The other members of the team share two or three men in a tent. And while I trust the men as shinobi, I don't think it's appropriate during this time for a man and woman to share a tent. Hatake-san shares these sentiments with me. Once I had learned that you would be assigned to this position, I sent a messenger hawk asking the captain to prepare a space for you. This will be only a temporary residence as we are planning to move from this camp in the next couple of weeks. I know it's tight, but it is better than being wet."

Manami nodded, "It is. I can't say that I've stayed in worse quarters, but I see the point that you are trying to get across. I also feel that it is not the proper time for_ that_ kind relationship. It will do for now. I don't expect that I will get many visitors to my personal quarters as it is." It was Akio's turn to nod. "I assume most of my callers will those that are in need of a medic and we have a space for that purpose. Perhaps it would be better time spent if we were to visit those facilities rather than to lounge in my tent."

"It was my hope that you would suggest as much. I would suggest that you change into something more casual. Without having to travel, I see no reason for us to laze about in full armor. I shall see you soon again, Hamano-san." Akio was quick to navigate his way out of the tent, moving past the sitting kunoichi with ease. Resignedly, Manami followed the Uchiha's advice and changed from her field attire.

The casual clothing she had been allotted was much softer and less stiff than the field set. The black sleeves didn't need to be rolled up, the clothing resting at her wrist perfectly. The torso was on the loose side though, making the kunoichi appear even more flat chested than she really was. The pants were comfortable too, unlike the over-starched field wear. Manami forwent the vest, feeling warm. The hitai-ate she had removed while changing stared up at her from the desk. She left it there, as she reattached her hip pouch and exited the tent.

The others in the group were spread out around the camp, the shinobi who were looking to escort her predecessor were near the dying fire, laughing at a joke the blue haired woman had not heard. They didn't notice her as she scanned around the camp awkwardly for Namazu or Akio. Yoko huffed up at her, cocking his wiry haired head to the side. He was the only one that seemed to be waiting for her. He trotted around the circle of tents, his tail held stiffly. The hound turned and whiffed at Manami when he noticed she wasn't following.

Manami trotted after the dog, not wanting him to cause a scene by bringing attention to the Uzushiogakure kunoichi. Down the line they walked until they reached one of the larger tents to the south. Yoko scratched at the tent's zipped door before pressing his nose against her shin. "What? You want me to unzip it?" The dog wuffed in confirmation before scratching his ear. Tight-lipped Manami looked at the dog a moment longer. It didn't sound like anyone was in the tent, but she didn't want to surprise anyone if it was occupied. The ninken started to bite its foot, cleaning between the pads of its paw.

"Ma, it seems Yoko knew to bring you here." Akio had appeared behind the blue haired kunoichi. The taller shinobi was once again dressed similarly to when they had first met in the Hokage's office. His hair dripped water and his skin was dewy from washing. "This," he motioned to the tent, "is your new 'office'. I know you're just dying to see it but you're here to save lives."

Manami rolled her eyes at Akio's bad pun. Obviously whatever mood he been in in Konohagakure had returned and she was stuck dealing with his annoying rude side again. With a bit of apprehension, the kunoichi opened the tent's flap and peered inside. The inside was darker than her tent, but she accounted this phenomenon to being farther from the fire at the center of the ring of tents.

The tent was not as under kept as she had feared it would be. The closest walls held shelves that were stocked and labeled. The rest of the room was divided into two examination areas, each with a privacy screen. Manami doubted that she would ever have to use both of them, but it would convenient once this camp was occupied by more than one medic. She also noted that there were oil lamps on several surfaces. Overall, it was acceptable for a field medical facility.

"I'll leave you to get settled then," Akio spoke as Manami skimmed the shelves, "it won't be much longer until the patrol is back, but you'll have enough time to at least acquaint yourself with everything in the tent." The Uchiha exited, the ninken following afterwards. Manami was alone again.

Her eyes strained in the dark to read the labels on the shelf, but fatigue made it impossible to concentrate long enough on any of the characters. What she needed was a light. Unfortunately, she didn't have any matches on her and she wasn't a Katon user. She looked by the lamps, but found nothing that would solve her dilemma. Normally, she wouldn't be so displeased but it was a little frustrating not knowing where anything was, especially when one needed to find it.

Manami tried the desk next, searching for anything that looked remotely like a match. She came up with nothing. She checked the lamp on the desk again, feeling around the rim carefully. Her fingers scraped a hard piece. The foreign part grated against the lamp as the kunoichi pulled it out. It was a piece of flint. Exasperated, Manami kicked the desk, causing the contents to rattle angrily. They didn't have matches, but they had a flint. 'Of all the-' she thought crossly, pulling a kunai out of her hip pouch.

The kunai struck precisely against the stone, sending sparks. The kunoichi nursed the flicker that had landed on the wick with her breath. Gently she blew on it, hoping it would catch and start a small flame. The spark whined from the effort, gradually growing stronger with each exhale until it breathed on its own. With a sigh of relief, Manami was finally able to get back to familiarizing herself with the contents of the medic tent.

Speed-reading through contents she found everything was arranged in a pattern, albeit a strange one to the kunoichi. Rather than a medically categorical method, the shelves were arranged sporadically, as if things were placed as they were pulled from boxes. It would have to be changed. There was neither rhyme nor reason to this organization. Time could be lost if an emergency rose and she or another had to search the entire self for sutras (which were on the lowest shelf near the floor).

Unless the Taichou had another assignment for her, this would be Manami's second order of business. The first would be conducting physicals to access the squad's overall health. Maybe this system of organization had worked for the previous medic, but it would not stay now that Manami was here. Muttering to herself, the kunoichi decided to look over the examination rooms to see if those would need to be changed as well. She was thankful that that wasn't the case. There was plenty of room to move on either side.

As she decided that she might have a little time to start with the reorganization, a high pitched howl, like the one Yoko had performed earlier, sounded. It wasn't Yoko's howl though. This dog's voice was meatier, more robust. Possibly a larger dog, Manami thought as she extinguished the light and placed it back onto the desk.

Outside of the tan canvas, the formerly relaxing shinobi were at attention, joined by the Uchiha who had stayed in the camp. Manami quickly joined the ranks, stepping in beside Namazu who gave her a reassuring nod. Beyond the Genjutsu shield the blurred outlines of shinobi became clear, the shimmering barrier ebbing away slowly. Eight human sized blurs came through quickly followed by nine smaller. Squadron Hatake had returned from sentry duty.

Yoko quickly joined them, his tail wagging enthusiastically. The smaller blurs had transformed into a pack of ninken who were just as excited to see the wiry gray brown hound. The first shinobi of the group to approach the camp was immediately greeted by Akio. The man laughed and clapped the Uchiha on the back as they continued to converse, the team of newcomers listening intently to the tall Sharingan user.

Umino nudged her lightly with his elbow and leaned over slightly, "That's Hatake Sakumo, the squadron's Taichou, in case you were wondering."

Manami had guessed as much. The man was an equal in height to Uchiha Akio, who towered over the Uzushiogakure kunoichi. The taichou was clad in a field uniform similar to what she had been wearing previously, a mixture of greens, greys and whites. Across his chest was a thick leather strap, mostly commonly seen in shinobi that carried a longer bladed weapon, a tantō being the most common.

Sakumo appeared to be four or five years older, though at first glance she had thought him older due to his silvery white hair. His hair was strangely cut, short and scruffy on the top but long in the back; a thick ponytail brushed halfway down his back. Though the color wasn't perfectly clear to her, she noted he wore a green hitai-ate around his forehead, keeping the thick hair from his brow. Beneath the protector laid a set of dark humorous eyes, a straight nose and a surprisingly soft-looking mouth, though age was starting to show with deepening age lines.

Suddenly, Sakumo eyes were locked on her's. Her stomach tightened and she could feel the sweat forming on her palms. The gaze was broken as quickly as it had started, their leader returning his eyes to Akio. She felt uneasy afterwards. Whether it was fear or respect, she didn't know, but there was something about Hatake Sakumo that made her nervous.

Wiping her palms on her pants, Manami turned her attention to the other members of the group. She noted with relief that there weren't more from the Uchiha clan in the group. Akio was enough of a handful as it was. But it appeared that with the exception of herself and Hatake Sakumo, that the rest of the troop had black or brown hair.

The nine shinobi were speaking quietly to one and other, though some seemed more focused on a black haired man with thick glasses in the back, patting his back and laughing. It appeared to the kunoichi that this who she was replacing. He carried a large backpack unlike the other members, used to carry equipment into the field. This made him a blatant target. In Uzushiogakure, where fuinjutsu was common, it was harder to differentiate the medic from the rest of the team because they didn't carry such things.

Sakumo turned his attention back to the group who surrounded the fire. "I'd like to take this time to talk to the five that will be moving on to the next camp tonight. There is some information that I would like to share with you before you depart." His voice was a rich baritone, smooth dark and clear. The group that had accompanied the trio that evening followed after Hatake, the medic Sho laughing and brushing off his teammates as he made to join the others. It was soon silent once again.

Now more eyes were on Manami, though Umino gave her a reassuring smile. It didn't ease her nerves. Manami had never been good around people, especially ones that she hadn't met before. And she knew it. This didn't stop Akio though from calling her over, "Come on Hamano-san, no use trying to hide in Umino's shadow. You've got teammates to meet."

The kunoichi glowered at the Uchiha, though she hesitantly moved to join the team. Umino trailed behind. Manami could feel his amusement at Akio's words. Ten men inspected the five foot five kunoichi as she took a place next to Akio, Umino flanking her other side. While some seemed genuinely interested in her, others showed complete apathy to her presence.

"Everyone, this is Hamano Manami, our ally from Uzushiogakure. Hokage-sama has tasked us with looking after her while she's here on vacation, because we obviously don't get hurt in this squadron." Akio earned a few snickers as he clasped the stiff kunoichi's shoulder. "She doesn't have front line experience, so I expect each of you to look out for her. She'll be our Ma-Hime."

Using a withering gaze, Manami hissed, "Don't call me Ma-Hime or any other pet name. I will not be mocked." Her fingers dug into her palms to keep her from attempting to strike the Uchiha shinobi.

"Ma, Namaiki-chan, don't provoke the poor thing. She looks like she's going to have an aneurysm. Then where would that leave us, hm?" Input one of her teammates. "Besides, the only one in this group that needs a nickname is you. You're that special to us." More laughter followed.

"You're right, of course. Silly me." Akio smiled, "Hamano-san, I shall now introduce you to your new team. You've already met me and Umino-san and to extent Uchiha Yoichi, my cousin. These two," he indicted the shortest of the men, barely taller than her, "are Saito Daichi and Daiki. You have probably already surmised that they are twins. To the right of them, is Hyūga Jirou, our sensor. To his right are Komatsu Shuji and Yamada Jun, our long range specialists. To my left are Oonishi Takeshi and Otomaru Yuudai, my former three man cell teammates.

"Over the next couple of weeks, you'll come to know everyone better and we'll be a big happy family. You can be the pet dog that everyone likes but that occasionally bites."

"You were dropped on your head as a child weren't you?" Manami deadpanned, staring at Akio incredulously. It had slipped out before she could stop herself, but the kunoichi was starting to get frustrated with Akio's behavior, rude and uncouth to serious then back again.

The outburst caused the loudest reaction yet, the team laughing out loud not only to the kunoichi's words but Akio's reaction. He hadn't expected Manami to talk back to him. "It seems our ocean lover does have a bite. Calm as the sea but with a temper that can rage like an uncontrollable storm. I'll behave from now on Hamano-san. "

Manami severely doubted this would be the case, though she accepted his truce for now. Attention was turning from her back to the rest of the group. The twins were quick to accost Namazu, each throwing an arm over his shoulder locking him in between their bodies. "Umino-chan, I thought we had told you to start growing some facial hair.

"You're looking especially baby-faced today." The first speaker had been Daiki and the second Daichi. The twins had once been identical, but it seemed that sometime during training or even battle, Daichi had acquired a deep slash, most likely from a sword or something similar, from his right temple to cheekbone. The other twin Daiki had on his left temple a mole. "Oi, Hamano-san, don't you think that Umino-chan would look good with some facial hair?"

"Then he'd truly look like _namazu._" Daiki interjected, the twins laughing at the pun on Umino Namazu's name.

"That's true, but it would be an improvement to his face overall." Daichi replied, as Namazu shook off the twin's arms, obviously unimpressed with their banter. They were quick to latch onto the newest member after that, effectively pinning her between their bodies. "You wouldn't look as good with a mustache though, right Daiki?"

"You're right. What this one needs is more breasts. She's as flat as a rail. You've probably heard the rumor, as a medic, that massage is known to help with that hm?" Daiki breathed in her ear. "It's always a shame when a girl looks exactly like a boy. I'd be more than glad to help you change that though."

A kunai brushed his between his legs, as Daichi was met with the kunoichi's hard eyes. "Unless you want to have the organ that 'determines' your manliness removed, I'd step away." To prove her point, the kunai tore a small hole in the shinobi's pants.

"Ouch. Guys! It seems that our little sister doesn't like to be touched and isn't afraid to bite. I have a hole in my pants to prove it." Daiki lamented as he pulled away from the Uzushiogakure woman. "How will I ever get on with my life with a hole in my pants? I'll never survive the night. Brother, hold me. Comfort me until the daylight comes!"

The brothers haughtily embraced each other, though their theatrics were mostly ignored. It appeared to the kunoichi that scenes like tthis happened more often than not. Annoyed, she slipped the kunai back into her hip pouch. If the rest of the team was anything like the Saito twins or Uchiha Akio, Manami doubted her sanity would remain intact throughout her tenure.

From the tent emerged the five that would be departing for the next camp, all of their faces appeared grim. Whatever had been discussed in the confines of privacy had obviously not been good news. As the five passed, Sho tapped the Uchiha, "Taichou would like to see your group now, Akio-san. I'll probably see you guys again soon since my new team is in the area. Take care." He turned and continued with the four men.

Leaving the barrier was a lot easier than entering it appeared, as the group easily walked through the membrane, disappearing into the night. Akio regained her attention by clearing his throat. Their eyes met before the Uchiha directed his gaze to the tent, signaling for her to follow. Umino brought up the rear. It was becoming a habit, the shortest being in the middle.

The tent was spacious, the interior being divided into two parts. To the back of the tent, it appeared were Hatake's quarters; a cot peeked from beyond the poorly closed curtains. In the center of the tent was a tall table that had enough room for the company to surround it. The walls were covered in maps, some of their current position. There was, however, a lack of seating.

The silver haired commander stood to the far side of the room, pouring over the map on the table. Placed carefully at junctions were red tags that marked where the enemy laid. A bunch of blue tags were stuck neatly in the center of it. He was pulled from his reverie as the three shinobi took their place on the opposite side of him.

He smiled at the trio, his eyes settling on the kunoichi. It was clear he was inspecting the new addition to his team. Manami's nerves were starting to get the better of her. Her palms were wet again and her heartbeat a bit faster than before. She schooled her face to be stony, without emotion. It was no time for her to be uncomfortable. Manami willed her heart to steady again, meeting the Taichou's eyes. His eyes flashed in amusement.

"Welcome Hamano Manami to our humble camp. I am sorry that I wasn't able to be here when you arrived, but I had some… things to take care of while on patrol this evening. Akio-san has informed me that you have been acquainted with your new quarters as well as the medical bay, I hope they are to your standards?"

Manami wet her lips, finding them extremely dry. "They are adequate."

It was a cut and clear answer. Something that Hatake had expected. The scroll that held the kunoichi's information sat on his desk in the back of his quarters, having been studied and restudied on several occasions. Akio had been kind enough to have sent him a copy immediately after the kunoichi had been assigned to their squadron.

From his own musings, he had mused that the Uzushiogakure kunoichi would be more serious than most. She was the youngest on his squad and with impressive accomplishments for someone so young. Her endeavors put her in the same league as Tsunade-hime, though Manami did not possess the inhuman strength of the blonde haired woman or the prestige that came from her relations. Her skill in sealing made up for the gap left by lack of force, in his opinion.

It had also been noted that Manami had not applied for her Jounin ranking despite her sempai and sensei urging her to for the past half year. Also mentioned were her deficiency in communication skills and a lack of confidence. She had displayed these traits already in the brief amount of time they had been acquainted. It was charming in a way, he contemplated.

"Very good. I know that your quarters are tight but they are under cover. We have been blessed with a dry spell for the last week but I don't expect that to extend much longer. Soon we will be in a constant state of rain and the supplies tent will keep you dry. I am sure that Akio-san and Namazu-san have also familiarized you with the expectations of our squadron and your duties," a curt nod from the trio, "Excellent."

Sakumo moved his eyes from the blue haired woman, gesturing to the map laid out on the table. His fingers immediately indicated the blue markers, "This is our camp, twelve markers for twelve members. And as you can see, we are in the center of a large ring of enemy forces. They are of Amegakure. Some have moved past us as recent as tonight. We spent the better part of tonight pinpointing their camps and numbers. They are all small and in constant contact with each other, making it hard on our squad to make any uncoordinated moves.

"It was simply by chance that we decided to follow a runner instead of killing him. If we had, you might not have come back to a calm camp as you did this evening. That is why we took extra precautions to ensure that the group moving out of the area tonight was informed of their movements. It is our duty to take care of this outcrop.

"They are unaware of our presence here and I plan to keep it that way for some time yet. This group of shinobi are on high guard so we will bide our time over the next two weeks or so before striking all of the camps at once. Already I have sent orders along to ensure that our reinforcements are ready to move in once we have rid the area of excess enemies."

There was a lull in the conversation, as the trio stared at the positioning of the enemy forces compared to their own. The two older males were thoughtful, the dynamics of the team already known to them. Manami's face wasn't as pleasant though, frowning at the red tags. There were eight groups of tags. Eight places for twelve people to strike simultaneously.

The team would be split for the attack and it was concerning to say the least. She would be the weak link if she was sent on the attack, none of the group having worked with her before and vice versa. She let out a huff in annoyance as she mulled over the map, causing a chuckle from the silver haired shinobi leader.

"Don't make such a tight face Hamano-san. You'll get wrinkles prematurely. We'll have more than enough time to strategize in the coming week. For now, we will move onto a different topic. If you will excuse us for a couple of minutes, I have a couple of things to discuss with our new medic." Akio and Namazu nodded dutifully with a bow before exiting the tent.

The tent felt tenser to the seventeen year old now that the only two familiar faces were gone. Hatake-san had disappeared behind the curtains to his personal space, leaving the kunoichi to awkwardly stand at the table. She focused on the red tags to keep her mind from useless wandering. She also took this time to wipe her palms against her pants again, banishing the damp feeling from her skin.

The fabric of the canvas divider rustled as Hatake-Taichou emerged balancing several scrolls in her arms. As he placed them on the tabletop, Manami realized that they were tied together by a thin thread that blended in perfectly with the scroll's white paper. The stack maintained its shape after being deposited.

"Undoubtedly, you know what these are. I only ask that when you are done with them to either seal them away or return them to me so they may be burned. I don't want any personal information about our squadron to be found or for it to leave this camp. It would be a misfortune that would be judged treasonous even if it were only an accident." His formally kind face was serious, glaring at the kunoichi meaningfully.

Manami was aware of his meaning instantly. Whether it had been an honest mistake or intentional, any information that was exposed to the enemy about this team would be punishable… by death.

"I understand," Manami breathed, "and thank you for imparting the knowledge contained in these scrolls to me. I will be returning them to you for proper disposal after I have memorized their contents."

She wouldn't risk sealing them for later review like Hatake-san had suggested. It was clear to her that even though she was to be part of his team that he didn't trust her completely. She didn't blame him. In the last war there had been plenty of deserters and double agents that had wreaked havoc behind lines. Undoubtedly, she would be the first that the team would suspect if things were to go awry. It was another pressure that weighed upon her as an unknown ally.

Hatake Sakumo nodded his approval, moving onto the next subject, "We will be taking the next week or so for you to learn more about the rest of the squadron as well as sparring so that they can get a better feel for your fighting style. You won't be participating in the attack in the coming week though." Manami couldn't control her face from displaying a look of confusion but the captain was quick to clear it.

"Normally, when we're in the field, you would be accompanying us on such a tactic, but you will be needed here to maintain our base's Genjutsu. I know that your strengths do not lie in this area, but all that is needed is maintenance to contain the seal. That will not be beyond your skills. One of the team will show you how the seal works some time during the week.

"Now, I only have one last piece of advice for you Hamano-san, don't be afraid to ask for help or complain. I know these guys are a little uncouth at times and that some of their pranks can get out of hand. Unquestionably, you've seen how some of them act already. They will grow on you, though some are harder to get along with than others. Don't let them bully you too much. You are dismissed."

Manami bowed deeply to her commander before carefully removing the scrolls from the table and leaving the tent. Just beyond hearing range stood Akio and Namazu, watching the camp as it quieted. The large group had already dispersed, some off to their own tents, others carrying on with menial tasks. Namazu greeted the kunoichi almost immediately.

"I take it that it didn't go too bad?" Manami shook her head, the beads in her hair chiming softly. "Good. I would try, if I were you, to get in a couple hours of sleep before day breaks. I can already smell the rain coming in and I'm sure the captain will be keeping us busy though we are supposed to be laying low for a while."

"I will try," was Manami's answer as the two older shinobi made their way back into the tent. She looked down at the stack of scrolls in her hand, "But I can't promise that I will."

* * *

Namaiki- meaning impudent or the closest translation to sassy

I wonder if you were able to see through my subtleties this chapter.

Thank you to Prescripto13 for her review, it was much appreciated.

Reviews and Critiques are welcome.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Naruto and his associated articles; only my OCs.

* * *

Reading through the scrolls had not gone as Manami had planned. The blue haired kunoichi vaguely recalled getting halfway through the first one before she was woken by Namazu shaking her shoulder. Her neck ached from falling asleep at the desk and the oil lamp she had lit was burned out. To her displeasure, Manami had been asleep for some time and now was greeted by the sound of rain pattering against the waterproofed canvas. Groggily, the kunoichi processed that Namazu was informing her of breakfast. She nodded in response, mumbling that she would be there soon.

Manami was mortified that she had fallen asleep; she hadn't even been _that_ tired. And yet, she had drifted off into an easy and deep slumber. At least she hadn't drooled, the medic thought to herself, as she straightened her slightly rumpled clothes. After that, it only took seconds for her to secure the scrolls and store them out of sight and out of mind.

A mist greeted Manami upon exiting the tent; the humidity had spiked despite the rain falling. A distant rumble sounded, promising more to come. The grass was damp and slick, wrapping into her exposed toes as she proceeded to the camp fire. The flames crackled against the precipitation, burning brightly. The entire team was there, eating cold rice and pickled plums. Manami's mouth dried from thinking about the sour taste the plums had.

It appeared that this would be a typical meal now that she was out in the front lines with Squadron Hatake. Umino Namazu waved her over, in an overly eager motion that didn't fit with her discontent. Reluctantly trudging through the damp foliage, she found herself being handed a bowl nonchalantly upon arrival. The kunoichi didn't feel particularly hungry, but it was best to simply do what she was told and eat.

The medic felt especially uncomfortable now, not because she had fallen asleep while reading, but rather because it felt as if all eyes were on her. Somewhere deep inside she wanted to retreat to her tent and eat in peace, but that would do nothing to build relationships with her teammates. Manami instead stood rigid and silent as she consumed her morning meal.

The uneasy feeling passed before too long as Hatake-Taichou cleared his throat. The groups' attention was turned to their silver haired commander, who met each of their eyes before continuing. "I know it has only been a short while, but I would like to take this opportunity to introduce our newest member, Hamano Manami who has joined us from Uzushiogakure." All attention was on the blue haired woman now. She tensely gulped down the bite she had just taken.

"I'm certain that she will be visiting with each of you personally in the next week or so and this means that you must be on your best behavior. None of the trouble you put Sho through. Do you understand?" There were a couple of resigned sighs coupled with silent nods.

"Good. I haven't discussed it with Manami, but upon further contemplation, I do believe that the best course of action to incorporate her into the unit best is to have a demonstration of her abilities in a spar. This is to help not only our unit to know her fighting style but for her to get into a condition where she will be ready for the field. She will not be joining us on our excursions until I have deemed her ready. Is this understood?"

"Yes, Captain." The team gave the impression of boredom which was on the ideal side in Manami's opinion. She took a small amount of pride for being in the front but it didn't make her comfortable with being surrounded by people. People who were starting to take an uncanny interest in her. The kunoichi abhorred being the center of attention.

"However," Sakumo interrupted her thoughts, "We won't hold the spar until this evening, to give our medic a little more time to settle into her quarters and to familiarize herself with the medical bay. We'll meet in my quarters after our dinner. In the meantime, I would like to speak with Jirou and Yuudai. You are free to go about with your duties until later." Sakumo met Manami's eyes and gave her a knowing nod, before departing from the group.

Her heart was hammering and it was most likely because of Sakumo. There was something overwhelming about the man and yet… She couldn't quite put her finger on it; he was different from anything she had ever seen. He was someone whose power and attention would someday make him into a great man.

Maybe he was already a great man. Honestly, besides the idle gossip that passed between the Jounin and Chuunin, the medic knew little to nothing about anyone from the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It made her feel unintelligent. Manami felt naive because she had been so focused on her studies and her own life for so long.

Her mind felt like it was spiraling out of control; she was in over her head. Manami's brown eyes met Namazu who was staring at her in concern. "I'm quite full now, where may I put this?"

"I can take it; it is my turn for dishes, though you really ought to eat more. You barely touched anything here." He said looking down at the bowl.

"I'll be fine. I've got a couple of things tucked away. But I really must be getting back to those scrolls. They're… not going to read themselves, hm?" Manami's voice felt forced as she spoke so she retreated before Umino could question her. Heading back to her tent, Manami measured her movements. She was making a hasty retreat, but she didn't want everyone else in the camp to know that.

Inside her tent, she let out a hushed breath of relief. Without a doubt, her team would think she was weird. That wasn't anything different from how her classmates had viewed her in Uzushiogakure. But still, she was resolved to make a conscience effort to fit in with her new team.

Manami could feel loose droplets beading in her hair but was used to the feeling. Uzushiogakure often had misting like this, being located so close to the water. Picking her way through the small opening she reached her cramped desk. The scrolls were spilling onto the floor. Apparently they hadn't been as secured as she had thought. Craning her neck, Manami caught sight of a scroll that had rolled under her cot.

Annoyed, she knelt on the cool ground and snatched the rolled material from its hiding spot. Across the label was the Captain's name. Her fingers tingled suddenly like needles and pins as she carelessly tossed it onto her cot. That was another mystery she had yet to fully rationalize; her reactions to Hatake Sakumo. But that, along with the secret of the barrier would have to be dealt with later. Settling into the wooden camp chair, the new medic resumed her reading.

After a couple of hours, the kunoichi had pored over the scrolls twice and felt comfortable with the information that had gathered in her head. The scrolls had been very through. Academy graduation dates, team assignments, mission records, injury and hospital records, along with typical information found in standard medical histories, date of birth, blood type, height, weight, allergies.

The medical shinobi had devoured the information, painting a fuller picture of the team she had been assigned to. She was in awe, all while feeling grossly under-qualified. Clearly this was _one_ of Konohagakure's best teams, if not the best. All were experts in their field, accomplished marksmen, competent leaders, all hidden behind a façade of laidback jokes and easy-going mannerisms.

Her hands were now busy pulling supplies from shelves and placing them onto the desk she had pulled from across the medical tent. Labels had been moved before the endeavor. Once she had inspected the materials, Manami would replace them on the newly organized shelving.

Still, she thought her hands brushing the labels, with a team of hard headed personalities there had to be an individual that could bring them all together. To make use of them in the best way possible. And that person was Hatake Sakumo.

There was no doubt in her mind about it now. His records were clean and pristine. He had never suffered any serious injury that would plague his limbs or muscles. He was accomplished in ninjutsu, kenjutsu, and taijutsu and a formidable opponent.

In summary, he was a former prodigy and now a genius. And he was only four years her senior.

The few accomplishments she held in high regard seemed like nothing compared to his. He was Konoha's best kept secret and shinobi _prided_ themselves on secrets. This brought her thoughts back to the purpose of this team. If Hatake Sakumo _was_ a secret, undoubtedly their team would have not only the element of shock but also of surprise. If an enemy thought you were a nobody, they wouldn't know how to react. They would underestimate you.

Manami had contemplated that this could be the reason she had never heard of the white haired man. The more she thought about it, the more justified it became. This team would be a nasty blow and undoubtedly Sakumo's name would be known when all of this was over.

She viewed her handiwork, feeling satisfied with the outcome of her organization. A day on her own had been needed after the constant contact with people. Manami hated to admit it, but people did wear on her patience and mental state. These couple of solitary hours had brought her back to a state of rational calm and she no longer felt the anxiety of being surrounded by strangers. But this could change once she was forced into contact with them again this evening.

Even when lost in thought, Manami had an acute sense of time. It had been very helpful when she had worked and researched in the hospital, always internally knowing when she was scheduled for surgery or when medication was due and being able to tailor tasks to keep herself busy for the duration of her free time. This sense also had its drawbacks. Like knowing when you had to do something that you weren't looking forward to.

There was a scratching sound at the tent's door as a small grey paw and snout shimmied the zipper open. Yoko followed, shaking his damp fur and sending water droplets flying. The smell of wet dog was a little overwhelming. Manami crinkled her nose. A dry huff that sounded like a covered laugh came from Yoko. The wiry hound trotted to the kunoichi, his eyes begging for a scratch. Manami rolled her eyes but relented a quick scratch behind the ears.

"Already time for dinner is it?" Manami asked, glancing over the medical tent one last time. A small grumble followed by a sigh came from the hound, confirming the kunoichi's thoughts. "That means that I should get moving then?" Another huff as the dog sauntered to the tent opening, eyeing the kunoichi wearily as if telling her to hurry up.

"Yes, yes. I'm coming." The kunoichi turned to the lamp to extinguish it before following Yoko into the rain. It was a refreshing feeling to have the rain on her face, though Manami was quick to notice that none of the team was around. A small hutch stood instead next to the banked fire and pot, a packet of chopsticks and a stack of bowls sitting under a woven cover. Stalking over to the hutch, Manami collected her dinnerware and opened the pot. After scooping the cooled rice and bean mixture into her bowl, she turned to walk to back to her tent.

Yoko intercepted her course, brushing her back around to face the main tent that held the captain's quarters. His dark eyes looked to the tent and back to the kunoichi who stared at him questioningly. Her expression read you can't be serious while the hound's gave an expression of absolutely. Exasperated, the kunoichi headed towards the shelter with dog in tow.

Manami entered the tent hesitantly. The entire team was present including the ninken, who all sat at attention in front of the team members, watching their master intently. Sakumo was standing over the table contemplating the map and flags, a bowl long forgotten in his hands. His eyes acknowledged the kunoichi, a flit of a smile in them before he returned his attention to the map.

Namazu smiled at her openly though, waving her over to the open spot next to him on the bench. Silently and reluctantly, Manami accepted the silent invitation, allowing herself to settle next to the dark skinned shinobi. Seated, she started to eat her evening meal as quietly as she could, but the silence was so deafening that every bite she took sounded like a rock slide in her ears. To make matters worse, her stomach let out a low groan. The teammates the medic could see smirked at the sound. An airy chuckle sounded from down the bench.

Yoko seemed to be the only one that understood as he stretched and let out a loud yawn before curling up at the kunoichi's feet. With a hidden grin, Manami rubbed the wiry dog's belly using her foot. The hound wuffed his contentment, winding into a tighter ball.

At his close proximity, the wet dog smell made the kunoichi's nose itch without control. Manami chose to ignore the sensation, breathing out through her nose to expel the scent. Finishing her bowl, she found it swept from her grip as Namazu exited the tent with stack of bowls and a handful of chopsticks. Without food to hide behind, the kunoichi kept her hands busy by absently petting the ninken resting on her feet.

Namazu was quick to return and the evening's meeting was underway. One of the reasons for the quiet camp that day had been Hatake-Taichou sending out half the group to reconfirm and recount the numbers at the enemy camps surrounding them. Daylight had been a two sided blade. Better sight not only for their team but the enemy forces as well.

This made their mission more dangerous as wet feet had the tendency to leave more traces than dry. But the team was successful having Hyūga Jirou's byakugan. With his eyes, the scouting team never got within range of the enemy and had an especially accurate depiction of the bordering opponents. A few different tactics were suggested. Manami found that the captain seemed to seriously consider their submissions but never settling on one. It was quite diplomatic of him and everyone seemed satisfied with his decision to think more on it.

Finally, the subject was back on Manami though the kunoichi was better prepared for the attention this time around. The current topic was as to who would be best to match her against for sparing. The amount of space in the camp and the confines of not using powerful jutsu put a stall in the plan as the team and Manami tried to envision the best opponent.

Many wanted the captain to be the one to test the medic. He had the experience and the best knowledge of what she could be capable of. On the other hand, some thought an Uchiha or the Hyūga would be a better choice, their eyes giving them a clear advantage in a small space. Others argued that they would be the most valuable in case of an emergency and it would be a waste of energy and chakra to send one of them against a medic.

In the end it was Hatake Sakumo's decision. Her opponent for that night's spar would be Uchiha Akio. Out of all of the team, he had spent the most time with her, had the best idea of her reactions and with his Sharingan, he would be the fastest to counter an attack if something went wrong, on top of being the second in command of the squadron. Manami accepted the choice of opponent, feeling a little bit more at ease with the Uchiha than with anyone else.

The group marched out of the tent in an orderly fashion, while the twins cleared the area of anything that might be tripped over. Out of habit, Manami observed her surroundings briefly. The camp was open and flat with no cover. They would have to be careful not to knock over any of the tents with how confined it was and the limit of jutsu she could use was also a little concerning to Manami because all of these factors combined would spell the Uchiha's victory. He had a height and weight advantage over her and the small range of combat related techniques she had would eat into what she could and could not do.

And she didn't know what he was fully capable of. She had a vague idea from his scrolls, but seeing it in action would be something else. He was also the opposite typing of her. Akio was strong in the Fire element, much like the rest of his clan while she was strongest in Water. This would have spelled an advantage if not for his Sharingan.

Having once been caught in its gaze, she had formulated a plan to avoid its power. Genjutsu was her weakest point and by weakest she meant that while she understood the theory of it, Manami was not very efficient at using it. By some unfortunate luck, if she was able to recognize that she was caught in illusion she usually had the ability to release it.

Rolling back her shoulders a couple of times, the kunoichi loosened up her muscles in preparation for the fight. Akio seemed relaxed and not too worried about the outcome, but there was no point in worrying over his demeanor Manami decided. The medic would simply just have to do her best with what she had.

Each took their position, looking at Sakumo for the signal to start. A curt nod came and the spar started. Manami unfortunately learned quickly that Akio had no plans to hold back. As her eyes turned from Sakumo, she found her opponent had left his spot in a flash before movement out of the corner of her eye signaled his move.

Her arm automatically came up to block, but it did nothing to hinder Akio's kick. The medic skidded back, taking its full force. The kick rang through her body, like a bell hit by a hammer, vibrating her to the core. Manami liked to think that she could take a hit, but the pain in her arm told her a bruise would be greeting her very soon. Her other arm rose as she automatically tried to block the taller man's next kick. This block succeeded a bit more, the kunoichi managing to leverage herself to take the hit and then transfer its excess energy from her body.

A split second later, she launched her counter, her numbed right arm swinging out with a kunai in hand, aiming for Akio's unprotected area between his legs. He, of course, saw this coming and reacted with his own kunai, blocking the medic's attempt. He continued around, his leg going in for a sweep. Manami jumped back avoiding the attack.

Akio followed the blue haired woman's movements, using a quick burst of chakra to flip over Manami. At the top of the arc he released the kunai, forcing the kunoichi to counter with her kunai and leaving her open for another high kick. The kick hit with full force, the sound of bones cracking in the kunoichi's neck. The kick overshot as Manami was replaced with the kunai that that Uchiha had thrown. Slightly off balance, the shinobi narrowly dodged a kick as the kunoichi came into an attack from above.

Akio jumped back from the strike, into the path of two shuriken that the kunoichi had managed to throw before her kick. Impressed, he blocked one of the flying stars with a kunai while jumping out of the other's trajectory. The kunoichi was not following, which was a vast oversight, he thought. That is, before he tripped over a low laying wire concealed in the grass. He was quick to recover, planting his hand on the ground and reversing back onto his feet, away from the wire.

"Good use of equipment. I was quite surprised by your ability to switch so quickly between projectiles." A kunai flashed around the kunoichi's neck as the Uchiha that had tripped over the wire dispersed into a cloud of smoke. The kunai dug into Manami's neck before she also dispersed into a puddle of water. "And working with the elements around you will be a large benefit. If not for my kekkei genkai, this spar _could_ have turned out very differently though I would say that you were holding back as much as I was Ma-Hime. But seriously, transforming to avoid me? I'm not that scary."

A scowling kunoichi appeared, canceling the transformation jutsu that made her appear as one of the thrown kunai. "I told you not to call me that. And it was better safe than sorry. Clearly you don't know how hard you kick or choose to ignore it. You could easily dislocate the shoulder of someone my size even if it's just in a friendly practice. Are we to continue?" Manami's attention was directed again to Sakumo, who was looking between the medic and Uchiha in amusement.

"No, I think that will be enough for tonight. Everyone saw some of your capabilities, though we won't see the full extent of them until actual battle. Does anyone have any questions?" The captain asked looking around the spectators. Most seemed bored and ready for sleep, covering up yawns.

Hyūga Jirou, who deactivated his doujutsu, had questions. During his observation of Manami and Akio's match, he noticed a peculiar path of circulation with the medic's chakra. Her chakra coils were normal per se, but her control and flow went beyond the normal parameters of her body to the beading that was held in her hair. It appeared to be a continual connection with a light drain on her system.

But, it was also clear to him that the Uchiha, Akio, and more than likely Hatake Sakumo were aware of it. Or at least partially so. In the meantime, the Hyūga decided he would keep an eye on the matter and observe before directly confronting the medic. There would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

After the spar, the rest of the week fell into an easier routine. Umino Namazu explained to Manami the duties rooster and its order. There wasn't an actual physical list but that didn't stop the tanned shinobi from creating one for the kunoichi. The gesture was a nice one that Manami didn't find it necessary. In the end, the list was forced into her custody until 'she got used to how things worked around camp'.

The short handwritten list itemized a number of duties from latrine digging to cooking the meals in camp. From the looks of it, Namazu had taken her duty as well as her own the first day, doing both the dishes and the cooking though it had been her turn to wash the dishes. This revelation made her flush in a vexing discomfort. There was nothing she could do about it though. It was in the past and she would have to move on from it.

The kunoichi kept herself busy in the meantime, conducting physical exams to match the information she had read in the scrolls to the patient. The process had been awful for several reasons, the first being that she had to ask her teammates whom she had just met to allow her to do a physical exam.

Namazu had been the first and very understanding. In fact, when she had questioned whether or not conducting an exam without clothes was crucial to the assessment, the Jounin had voiced a supporting opinion. In her second interview, the situation spiraled out of control.

Akio, her second patient, was once again his annoying self. When asked to strip, he had asked if the kunoichi would like to watch. Furiously embarrassed, she shoved an examination gown at the man and fumed for the rest of the appointment much to the Uchiha's amusement.

Those were the only exams she had been able to conduct that day, the rest of the team having been sent out to scout. Later in the evening, she managed to waylay the twins on their way to dinner, asking them to come in the morning to see her in the medical tent. They agreed.

The next morning however, the two kenjutsu users showed up in their underwear, claiming that Uchiha Akio had instructed them to. According to Daichi, the Uchiha had also mentioned that the kunoichi had a strange medical related fetish and preferred to be called Pantsu-Sensei. They were promptly expelled from the medical bay and told to come back with clothes _on_. This wouldn't be the last of the team's antics either.

Soon, the story had been passed around the camp. Conversations would stop when the kunoichi walked by, much to her discomfort. Though the worst part was the snickering that would follow after they thought she was out of hearing. The normally calm kunoichi started to go out of her way to avoid spending prolonged contact with the team which was difficult in such a small base. But that didn't stop her from trying.

The rest of the examinations were done sporadically over the rest of the week. Manami bided her time, picking off her teammates one at a time when she knew they would have free time and when she wouldn't be interrupted. The last teammates to evaluate were Hyūga Jirou and Hatake Sakumo. The Hyūga had been the most challenging to corner. He was rarely on his own and was always off on reconnaissance. The captain had also been the same.

It was early in the evening when Manami finally made the decision to conduct a double interview as the team was gone but both Hyūga and Hatake were on base, in the captain's quarters discussing the next week's move. Manami had taken the better part of the early afternoon anticipating and gathering her courage to deal with the two Konohagakure shinobi. Gathering the scrolls in a tightly tied bundle, the Uzushiogakure made her way to the canvas covered tent, ignoring the rain that drenched her shoulders on the short walk.

Clearing her throat outside of the tent, she paused for a breath and then entered, giving the two men inside a moment to comprehend her entry. Both were standing over the map, Jirou with his normally stoic expression, Sakumo with a tired smile. Manami's mind blanked momentarily, her rehearsed words fleeting. Buying time, she approached the table setting the scrolls onto the unused chair nearby.

The words came back to her as she inhaled. "As you both know, I have been conducting exams on Squadron Hatake over the course of the last week cross-referencing the scrolls that you," a pointed look at the Captain, "have provided. I am sure you are also aware that I have interviewed everyone in the camp with two exceptions, the two of you." She paused, indicating the empty chairs. "If you would allow me the pleasure."

"Of course, Hamano-san. There isn't anything that I can't take care of later. Jirou? If you would." The captain indicated one of the chairs, having taken the other. Jirou followed the silver haired man's example without emotion. Things progressed smoothly after that.

Manami started off with the basics, asking when and where the shinobi were born, their height, their weight. And she moved on, asking questions about if there were any drugs they used, any family history of health problems, the last time they were hospitalized and for what, if applicable. It was a very formal range of questions that were normal for a hospital visit. Any pain? Reoccurring headaches?

She was very through in her questions, but made no notes and asking medical questions from her memory. The kunoichi didn't do as much as look in the direction of the scrolls. Sakumo was pleased with the fact. If there was no need for notes or the scrolls, the blue haired kunoichi was fulfilling her promise to return the scrolls for disposal. She also seemed satisfied with the answers they were providing.

After the questions, she conducted the physical exam, explaining that there was no need to take off their clothes. Sakumo knew, of course, of the incident with the twins and Akio. The captain didn't see the point in involving himself with the matter. Not because he didn't care, but because of his confidence that the kunoichi would be able to overcome the problem on her own.

She, however, had been avoiding the situation rather than confronting the team. Truthfully, it would have been easier if she had challenged the men and had settled their joke early. But instead, it had festered and grown, causing the seventeen year old to draw further into herself. Namazu kept him up to date on the situation.

She took their pulses, blood pressures and temperatures to establish a normal set of vitals. Manami also asked them to perform little exercises, such as raising their arms over their heads or to fully extend their legs, to know the extent of their normal physical limitations. Satisfied with the results, she stowed away what little equipment she had brought along. Brushing off her pants, she sat and looked between them. "Do you have any questions for me?"

Sakumo shook his head, but he noticed that Jirou did not. "Thank you, Hamano-san. I do have a question, but it does not pertain to the physical you just conducted. May I continue?" Manami nodded carefully, not quite sure what the shinobi had his mind on. There had been no hint given to her about the state of his thoughts, but if she could answer his question she would try.

"Very good. You see, the day after you arrived, you and Akio had a spar, as you will recall. During that time, I had the opportunity to observe you with the Hyūga's Byakugan, which you are aware of is a doujutsu native to Konohagakure." Manami nodded, following his train of thought curiously.

"And in my observations, I noticed a particularly interesting display of chakra control from you. It was interesting in the fact that it seemed to be a maintained connection between you and your so-called hair beads. I have thought on it for a while, and observed them at times since then and uphold that you do have a constant bond to this beads-"

"So what you want to know is 'what are they'?" Manami interrupted.

* * *

Thank you for the continued support and the reviews from **_Prescipto13_** and **_Juliedoo._ ** They were and are still much appreciated critiques and compliments to my writing style. I would also like to thank **_xLilim_** for unknowingly inspiring me to look back into writing this story.

If you have any questions, feel free to message me and as always, Constructive criticism and reviews are appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Naruto and his associated articles; only my OCs.

* * *

It was a little unnerving for Manami to know that she had been watched so closely by a teammate without even realizing it and that he had even used the doujutsu on her to do so. Her hand brushed the beads in question before resting back in her lap.

"You are very observant then, and undoubtedly, such a thing would pique your curiosity as it has others before you. To put it simply, the beads are a result of an experiment that I conducted on my own while I was still in Uzushiogakure involving seals and their apparatuses." Manami licked her lips, trying to think of where exactly to begin. "Um, well… as a genin, I worked with a very unbalanced team. My sensei and two teammates were sealing specialists. That was their passion and focus. They were all talented.

"After my teammates and I were promoted to Chuunin, we drifted away from each. I focused on my medical skills and they continued to concentrate on their Fuinjutsu. Over the course of a couple years while working with medical jutsu I started to realize the limitations of the body once your chakra is depleted. I started to wonder, 'what is the true portability of chakra? You can add it to a weapon to make it fly farther, faster. Could you potentially store chakra, like an item, in a seal?'

"These," Manami pointed to the beads in her hair, "are three years of research into the subject. And even now they aren't proficient. You have observed their effects Jirou; they have a constant drain on my chakra. The drain is light so most shinobi wouldn't notice but it is there. If not for my precise chakra control such an experiment would be deadly.

"And there have been unforeseen side effects. The bead that feeds off my chakra system attaches directly to my hair. The beads do not slip off. They must be cut free to release the seal and the closer to my scalp the cut the easier. I don't particularly pride myself in having a nearly shaved head you know.

"Another effect," Manami explained as she ran her fingers over her stubbly scalp, "is that I have experienced a reduced rate in growth after cutting away the beads. Some of these beads have been gone for longer than half a year and yet I am covered in soft peach fuzz. I don't know why as of yet. Does that answer your question?"

"For now," was Jirou's answer as he stood. "The others have returned. I will greet them." He left without another word.

"You did well telling him." Sakumo spoke standing. He stretched his limbs and patted the seventeen year old's shoulder as he walked to the table.

"Why do you say that?" Manami questioned, following the captain's movements with her eyes.

"Jirou doesn't like to admit it, but he has insatiable curiosity when he doesn't the answer to a question. He was very satisfied with your explanation and will keep it to himself." Sakumo picked up one of the markers and moved it to the side.

"But... why-?"

"Why would he keep it to himself? He has no need to exploit your talents or tell others. It's not going to endanger the team and he sees no point in siccing them on you. You and Jirou may be more alike than you realize. Ah!" the Sakumo's eyes went to the entrance of the tent, "Yoko, fetch Akio and Yoichi before you come in. I want them to show Manami-san the barrier."

The wiry hound, who had nosed his way into the canvas tent, huffed and rolled his eyes before exiting again.

"The barrier?" The kunoichi questioned.

"Yes, the barrier. If we had had the time earlier in the week we could have covered it but as things always do during war, plans went awry. You have no need to worry though. Uchiha Akio and Yoichi are very proficient at explaining the inner workings of this particular Genjutsu."

Akio poked his head in, "You called boss?" His hair was drenched, water dripping down onto his face. He didn't seem to notice.

"Yes, yes. Manami-san's duties have been freed giving her time to now observe the barrier. After you finish, I'd like to hear your report."

"You've got it boss. Come on Ma-Hime, we'll just take a quick stroll around the camp." Manami scowled at the tall Uchiha. "Don't be mad Hime; it's only a little rain." Begrudgingly, the kunoichi followed Akio out of the tent. Outside, the light had faded into twilight. Yoichi stood broodingly, waiting for the duo to arrive. "We're going to take you on a little field trip," Akio chirped, "Outside if the barrier."

"Wait. Didn't Hatake-taichou say that I was supposed to stay in the camp until he deemed me ready to-" The kunoichi started in suspicion eyeing the Uchiha men.

"It's _not_ like we're not going to be sending you out to fight against the enemy by yourself. One, you're with the two of us and two, it's easier to explain the workings of this barrier by experience rather than by theory." Akio shoved the kunoichi towards the barrier, earning a scowl. "Come on, I've been out in the rain all day. I would rather not continue the trend."

With an unsure gait, the kunoichi left the barrier. A cool sensation washed over her as she passed through the Genjutsu. Blinking rapidly, Manami was suddenly confused. Where was she? What was she doing? Looking around Manami tried to recall what she had been talking about and with who.

She took a tentative step forward, her hand reaching into her hip pouch for a weapon. A rustle in the trees to her left was met with a thrown kunai. "Alright alright, calm down there Ma-Hime. Remember it's a Genjutsu." The trees were met with a confused look and another kunai. "Oh for gods'… KAI!"

The situation came rushing back to the kunoichi as Akio and Yoichi appeared, grasping the two kunai that she had thrown. Manami could feel herself flushing in anger, annoyance, embarrassment and disappointment. Disappointment that she has been caught up in a Genjutsu so easily. She fought the urge to turn away.

"Don't be upset, Ma-Hime. That's what this Genjutsu is supposed to do, distract and react to intentions. It's quite nasty if you don't know what you're looking for." Akio explained, trying to comfort the medic but failed miserably.

"Genjutsu or not, I should have known it was there and-"

"Nonsense," Yoichi interrupted sternly, "You're a weak Genjutsu user and this is not an ordinary genjutsu. Stop trying to make excuses and get over the fact that you were trapped. You're not the first and you won't be the last. Hatake chose us to explain this to you because we are Uchiha. Genjutsu is not effective against us and if not for the captain's ninken the others would be in the same boat as you. Stop complaining and listen now."

Manami's lips thinned as she stared at Yoichi, feeling insulted. He was right, but her pride had a hard time letting sleeping dogs rest.

"Hello? Yes? It's still raining out here. You guys can bicker later; my hair is going to be totally unmanageable if we stay out here any longer." The blue haired medic snapped her eyes at Akio, "Oh good, Ma-Hime is back to her normal self. Now back to the explanation. The feeling that you had upon exiting the barrier is normal for anyone who was not, as you say, prepared. It's a complex jutsu, several actually, running at the same time that need to be monitored and maintained. What did you feel? Take a moment to think about it."

Swallowing back her argument, Manami processed her feelings and memories, recalling the effect the illusion had had on her. "Confusion to start; it was very subtle but it caused instantaneous suspicion. Then distraction, like I needed to move away from where I was quickly. Maybe doubt… a little bit of doubt and sluggishness." She paused and shook her head, "It was a very quick onset, and I am not sure if it was what I was actually feeling or my interpretation afterwards."

"No, you are correct. Normally the onset is more gradual though, so you were obviously more guarded due to a sudden immersion. It is a subtle technique, affecting the target more the closer they get to the core. You probably didn't notice its effect the first time you encountered it due to Yoko. The taichou's dogs are trained to pick up the smell of this genjutsu's chakra so they are less effected that normal shinobi.

"Back to the genjutsu though, its components are three parts. The first being concealment. Despite being interrupted, you cannot see the camp because of four overlapping concealment techniques. They rely on a medium to keep intact. So unless the medium is destroyed or overpowered, you will not be able to see or break through it.

"The second is its dissuasion element. This part causes a subtle confusion and sends attention to elsewhere. And the third is a redirection technique that in addition to the dissuasion will move the effected target gradually to the side of the barrier, causing a long circular path. In their mind, they appear to be traveling in a straight path."

"That makes sense." Manami contemplated, staring at the barrier that she couldn't see. "But then how do you know exactly when to release the illusion?"

"That is where Hatake's ninken come into play. Once they sense the distance to the barrier, they will let out a howl in a certain tone that will cause the medium to react quickly and specifically to the area it is emitted. The person monitoring the medium is a safe guard though. That's why there is always at least one person in the camp. They have to apply chakra to the medium for the barrier to open… which brings us to our next stop. Yoichi, if you will?"

The shorter of the Uchiha men let out a shrill whistle. A moment later, a ninken appeared. It was the smooth haired ebony pug that Manami didn't know the name of. He gave a look of sheer annoyance and let out two yaps followed by a short howl. The barrier opened and the pug was gone, running back to captain's tent as fast as its little legs could carry it.

Manami followed after the two shinobi instead as they made their way back onto the base. The sound of the rain bouncing off of the water-proof canvas was the only sound in the camp. Light illuminated the shelters, but there was no sign of life. Such was a shinobi's presence.

The trio made their way to the side of the camp and quietly entered the tent at the opposite end away from the medical bay. It was dark in the shelter, Manami's eyes straining. In the center was a brass stand with a clear glass orb sitting in the middle. The air buzzed silently with chakra. The medic was surprised that she hadn't noticed such a strong chakra emitting from the tent before. She had been distracted for the last week but still…

"This is the medium then?" Manami asked approaching the stand, cautiously watching the men with her. They nodded each taking a different side of the triangular stand. The orb slowly dimmed and filled with a hazy smoke that drifted within its confines. "So… what am I supposed to do with it?"

"Well, a lot and nothing." Akio sagely provided, watching the swirling smoke. Manami gave a skeptical stare.

"The smoke clears when there is a disturbance in the genjutsu or if someone has recently been in the area of effect, us for example. It will fill until someone enters its range again." Yoichi commented, folding his arms over his chest.

"Excuse me if I'm wrong," Manami nervously asked, thinking back to the conversation outside of the barrier. "But I would imagine that such a large scale genjutsu would require maintenance?"

"Ah, I was getting there Ma-Hime. You are correct and it's a very easy procedure. We don't really need to fix anything at the moment but the process is similar to using the mystic palm jutsu or making a seal. If you would," Akio put his hand on the orb motioning for the kunoichi to do the same.

"Now, you can feel the chakra that has created it right?" Manami nodded, "Good. It's a fairly simple process of injecting raw chakra into the orb, much like a seal. The medium will absorb that chakra and spread it out over the area of the barrier, repairing any weaknesses in the wall and strengthening the effects of the jutsu.

"So once enough of your chakra has been poured into the barrier, the genjutsu will start to have less of an effect on you?" Manami probed, feeding the orb a small amount of chakra. The smoke thickened as her chakra absorbed.

"Correct." Yoichi confirmed. The six foot man was tapping his fingers against his arm impatiently. "It shouldn't take a genius to figure out the rest. I'll be leaving now." The man stiffly turned and exited, leaving Manami with Akio.

"Ah, don't mind Yoichi, he's just shy when it comes to perverts." Akio chattered, removing his hand from the orb.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about that… _Akio-san_," Manami venomously hissed giving the Uchiha a sharp look. It had been a very long week because of the tall shinobi and Manami was out for a little bit of retribution.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I must be going." Akio answered quickly, disappearing.

Manami gave the orb a last probing glance before resigning herself to the rain outside again. She would worry about paying back the Uchiha later, tonight was her turn to cook and she'd rather not leave it until the last moment.

After that evening, the camp's activity picked up as the squadron prepared for its assault against the Amegakure. Groups were still being sent out every couple of hours to confirm the set pattern the enemies had fallen into. If there was one thing you didn't want to be in a war, it was predictable. In the middle of it all was Manami, trying her best and succeeding to keep up with the news in the camp.

Like Yoichi had rudely asserted, once a shinobi was in practice with the medium it was easy to control. For the first day, Manami had observed whoever was in charge of the glass sphere. She witnessed the jutsu's effect on a team of the enemy's shinobi as they were redirected around the camp. The second day, she manned the orb herself with supervision. The roster was changed that evening so that her name was included on the orb duty. The team was starting to trust Manami, even though the twins still referred to her as Pantsu-Sensei.

It wasn't long until Hatake Sakumo called the entire squad to his tent for a final meeting. The ninken piled in a corner behind their master watching patiently as the team gathered around the table. It was a tight squeeze when the group stood but it was necessary for the silver haired man's instruction.

"After much deliberation," Sakumo's baritone voice rang softly, "I have come to a decision along with Akio about the matter of ambush. First, I will be assigning ninken to teams. Ninken, come forward when you're called. Yoko and Koji are with Manami."

"Here!" squeaked Koji, a russet colored Shiba Inu, as he separated from the pile and sniffed the kunoichi eagerly.

"They can talk?!" Manami blurted, eyes bulging from hearing the dog talk. If they could talk that meant-

"Of course we can," Yoko yawned, scratching his ear lazily. His eyes glinted with a mischievous streak as the kunoichi's mind reeled. Her thoughts went directly to their first meeting when the wiry dog had greeted her _personally _by sticking his snout into her crotch.

The group chuckled as Sakumo spoke up, "You didn't know?"

"Does it look like I knew?" Manami snapped back, earning a slight reprehending look from the captain. "Sorry. They never talked to me, and I've never heard them talk," she clarified glaring openly at Yoko who was chewing on the pad of his foot.

Namazu put his hand on the startled medic's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. This didn't turn her temper. The kunoichi's knuckles were turning white under her long sleeved shirt as she clenched her fists tightly. She let out an even breath.

Manami didn't like surprises in general but this was an unwelcome shock. She was floating somewhere between frustration and embarrassment with a side of anger. Koji nuzzled her clenched fist, giving her a pleading look.

Manami turned her face away from the dog, staring at the table, feeling betrayed. A slow lick touched her hand but Manami was stubborn and refused to acknowledge the canine that had been assigned to her. Another persistent lick followed as Koji seated himself next to the kunoichi and leaned against her leg.

Sakumo observed her a moment longer than necessary before continuing down the list, making a mental note about this outburst. Kane, an eager yellow lab, was assigned to Daichi and Daiki. Yuuto, the black mastiff, would go with his owner, Sakumo. Bojū, the black and white collie, would be teamed with Komatsu Shuji and Hyūga Jirou. Otomaru Yuudai and Yoichi were assigned the black pug, Bakkin. Keikai the blue merle collie was teamed with Akio, while Tsuyoi would be accompanying Namazu. The beagle whose name was Haaku would be with Yamada Jun while the remaining brindled bulldog was paired with Oonishi Takeshi.

"Now, as you can see we have our final numbers. Seven camps spread over a five kilometer radius and at our last count sixty targets. The main camp has about twenty shinobi present at all time, the northeast and southwest camp with ten each and the north, east, south and northwest camps with 5 each.

"After two weeks of observation, the main camp holds a meeting every evening just after sunset, bringing that total to numbers between forty-five and fifty men. Six one man teams are posted at the outer camps with the remaining five to ten shinobi patrolling the area. Tomorrow will be the day that we strike." Sakumo started to pluck the blue markers from the map's base camp, leaving Manami's name in the camp.

"Manami, due to your inexperience, you'll be remaining in the camp to maintain the barrier and to treat any injuries that may come in as a result of the attack. It is important to keep the base secret and if it comes down to it, the team will retreat leaving you here until we are able to return with backup."

Manami nodded, releasing her fists and wiping her palms against her pants. "Yes, Taichou." She wasn't fond of this 'worst case scenario' but she took the responsibility seriously.

There were implications for this position though. Not being trusted completely to back-up the team. Being considered too weak or inexperienced to be of any help in the field. Possible discrimination, being the only female on the front and therefore a 'liability'. And then, being a vital asset to the team as a medic. Though it was wishful thinking, Manami hoped it was the latter.

"Daichi, Daiki. You'll be in charge of the patrols to the south and these two camps." Sakumo instructed as he placed each of twin's markers in the south and southwest camps. "Akio will be taking care of the northwest camp before working northeast to Jun who will be at the northernmost camp. Jun, you will be holding position until Akio joins you. Be sure to observe the west and east for patrols.

"Namazu, you'll be positioned between the main camp and Akio and Jun, taking care of any of the stragglers or patrols that may come your way. Yuudai and Yoichi, you'll be in control of the area south of their main from our base to north of the southern camp, same objective as Namazu. Takeshi, you'll be to the farthest east. Clear the camp and then head for the main. I'll be in the northeast doing the same. Jirou. Shuji. You'll be directly on the main camp.

"Whether by sheer stupidity or overconfidence, the main camp has made a very vital and fatal mistake of not only having the majority of their members meeting regularly at the same time but also housing all of their supplies in the same place. Shuji will be detonating their supplies while Jirou covers.

"But the timing _must_ be perfect. We cannot have them alerted to our presence too early and for that reason Jirou and Shuji will be waiting until ten minutes after the rest of us have started, ten minutes after sunset. This will give them time to get into position and time for the rest of the team to finish up our business with the outer camps and move in for the kill. Questions so far?"

"No?" Akio said, glancing around the table. "Good. As taichou said, our goal is to meet Shuji and Jirou preferably before the detonation, if at all possible. We're hoping to take out at least part of the group with the explosion and then the rest post facto. Keep in mind that we have to have a complete account for the entire enemy, not one of them must get past us. Understand? This is vital.

"I suggest you all start making preparations for tomorrow evening. In the morning, we'll be scouting out our positions and finalizing the plans. Daichi and Daiki, you'll be on barrier duty tonight instead of Manami. Manami, I suggest you do whatever it is that medics need in case of a sudden influx of patients and better acquaint yourself with your 'new help'." It didn't sound so much like a suggestion as it did an order. With slightly pursed lips, the blue haired medic nodded taking that as a dismissal. Begrudgingly, she left the tent with two hounds in tow and headed to the medical bay to prepare.

Her nerves were frazzled, Manami thought to herself as she lit a lamp in the tent. The light scattered leaving the tent ominously dim. Yoko curled himself up in the corner next to the desk while Koji helplessly trailed after the medic as she set alight the other oil lamps. The beads in her hair clattered as she collapsed angrily onto one of the examination tables.

Sometimes she wondered if she had made the right choice in accepting the nomination for this mission. She could be home working on her research or running missions instead. It wasn't that she didn't like it here with this squad… but she abhorred being thrown for a loop. She was straightforward and wanted others to be the same. But as always, one must look underneath the underneath. It was the shinobi way to keep secrets but even some secrets had to be divulged. Moping wasn't going to get her anywhere either. With a resigned sigh, the kunoichi hoisted herself off the table and got to work on her preparations.

The next day flew by quickly. Sakumo was out of the camp from the time the kunoichi had woken from her short night's sleep until well into the afternoon, the rest of the team was in and out constantly as well. With the help of the twins, who moaned and complained the entire time, Manami set the camp fire closer to the medical bay and gathered rainwater into heavy kettles and buckets. If there was a problem, gods forbid, she would have a large supply of boiled water at her disposal.

Under the awning of the medium's canvas shelter, Manami watched the squadron gather. Every member was in their standard issue field attire and had a grim look upon their face. Even the ninken were ready to go, each sporting a green hitai-ate around their neck. Sakumo was the last to arrive, pulling on his fingerless gloves. There was an air around him at that moment; confident but intimidating.

Though Manami was across the camp, she could hear his hushed words without trouble. "Everyone knows their task. We of the Leaf, with the Will of Fire in our hearts, will not fail to complete this task nor will we back away from the need of our village and country. We go to defend the freedom and livelihood of those we care about and those that have yet to be born. If we die, we die with honor in battle and not before. The mission is vital but so are our friends. Come back alive."

"You hear that Pantsu-Sensei?!" Daiki's voice rose above the rain, "Taichou says not to burn the camp down before we get back!"

Manami scowled as she replied, "What's that Daiki? Put the new latrine in your tent?! I _was_ getting a little tired of getting wet every time I needed to use the bathroom." A short chorus of laughter was the response as Daiki fumbled with a comeback.

This was ended by a shrill whistle by the captain, "Enough ladies! Move out!"

"Taichou, get your eyes checked! I ain't no lady. Can't vouch for my brother though!" Daiki laughed before jumping through the barrier.

"Hey!" Daichi screamed, jumping after his brother.

The rest of the team followed suit, though Namazu paused a moment to wave farewell to the kunoichi before departing. Manami briefly stared after the troop, wishing she was also participating before turning away and entering the tent.

Yoko was his usual lazy self, lying on his side with his eyes closed. His tail curled and then thumped the ground as the kunoichi took a seat next to the orb. Koji settled at her feet, rubbing against the medic's shins. It was hard to stay mad at Koji, since he wasn't directly involved with lying to the medic, but Manami still had a grudge against the wiry grey hound. She knew it was stupid to be mad at a dog but this wasn't an ordinary dog. It would be a couple of days before she could completely forgive him.

Scratching behind Koji's soft russet ears, Manami waited impatiently for the siege to begin. Another misfortune of not being able to accompany her team, she didn't know what was going on. In the off chance they failed, she'd be stuck by herself for gods' only knew how long. It was no use to be pessimistic even if it was her natural tendency. The minutes passed slowly and the only noise in the camp was the distant cackle of the fire, the rain falling against the waterproof canvas and Yoko grooming himself.

The medic could see that the sun had set as twilight engulfed the camp. The team would have started by now. Edgily, the medic stood and started to pace; Koji dodged out of the way and instead moved to Yoko's side and watched the medic. Her inner clock passed the ten minute mark but there wasn't a sound. No sound of explosion or detonation. The enemy's main camp was farther away… but not _that _far. Her hand unconsciously went to the beads and started to tug slightly as she walked to the tent's entrance and looked west, towards the main camp. Through the barrier she could see nothing.

Sighing, she turned back into the tent and continued her pacing for another three minutes. Yoko and Koji's ears perked forward before the orb started to clear causing the medic to jump. "We've got incoming." Yoko shouted, sprinting out of the tent.

"An injury to be precise," Koji replied tensely, his small body shaking. He sniffed the air. "Prepare to open the barrier Manami-chan!" The red Shiba Inu jumped into action, going to meet Yoko at the barriers.

Manami nodded in response, hands making contact with the orb as an image of Yuudai and Yoichi become clear in the medium. Yoichi was carrying an unconscious and heavily injured Yuudai. The taijutsu user sported heavy burn on his arms and face though no signs of fire showed on his clothing. Possibly a steam-related wound, the kunoichi thought as the duo approached from the south.

She waited as long as she could for the duo, trying to time their arrival perfectly. Her hands injected raw chakra suddenly, opening a hole for her two teammates and sprinted out of the tent the moment she heard them cross the barrier. Outside, Yoichi headed straight for the medical bay, the kunoichi close behind. "What happened," she yelled watching as the tall Uchiha deposit the unconscious twenty-one year old onto the examination table. Yuudai didn't appear to be as burnt as he did in the orb, but his skin was peeling back like a bad sunburn.

"Idiot wasn't paying attention and got hit by some kind of poison steam. He killed the user shortly thereafter. That's all I know. Bakkin relayed the story to me before meeting up with the twins. I need to head out. Don't let him die." The Uchiha demanded before exiting the tent and leaving the medic to her work.

Manami quickly pushed her sleeves up, away from her hands before focusing them over the shinobi's chest. Yuudai sharply inhaled as the medic applied chakra to his body, diagnosing his injury wearily. Amegakure had a plethora of toxins and poisons they could use. She knew from experience. Some simply paralyzed the body while others caused seizure and death soon after; like that of Sanshouo no Hanzo. The medic was able to quickly decipher the cause and sighed in relief that it was a somewhat standard poison rather than a toxin.

Toxins were tricky in that they liked to attach to fatty acids in the blood stream and multiple quickly. Poisons were bad but not as bad. Manami was relieved to have worked against this particular poison before in a controlled environment in Uzushiogakure. And this particular brand was easy to disperse if you knew how to do it correctly. Placing her non-dominant hand at the bottom of his ribs, she dispersed her chakra focusing on the pulmonary alveoli. Her other hand went to her cart where she grabbed a glass jar.

"Yoko, would you drag one of the covered buckets of water in here? I'll need it momentarily." Manami calmly requested as she placed the glass jar over the unconscious man's mouth. Gently she coaxed her chakra into the air sacs, forcing the poison out. Her hand grazed over his chest smoothly in a lateral motion slowly moving up. She could feel the poison trying to stick to his lungs harder making her grit her teeth against the pull. She could hear the scrap of the bucket she had asked Yoko to fetch against the floor but kept her eyes focused on the patient.

Manami felt sweat gathering at her hair line as her hand paused to Yuudai's trachea. Mentally preparing herself, the medic made sure she had a sure grip on her chakra for the next maneuver. She exhaled slowly before slamming her hand up to the shinobi's chin and contracting his throat muscles so that the poison couldn't escape back into his lungs.

Yuudai's mouth wedged open in a cough-like motion, spewing noxious gas and fluids from his facial orifices. Manami immediately released the hold on her chakra, her hand flying to the glass jar's lid on the cart. The jar was sealed a millisecond later, fluids and gas trapped within the container where it couldn't do any more harm. Yuudai gasped before he started hacking, the oxygen deprivation fueling the reaction.

He was in the clear for now, the majority of the poison out of his system. Next came the burns from the poison. Scooping the bucket of water from the floor, the kunoichi placed it beside the unconscious man and threw a rag into the water. Walking around him, she decided to do the easiest and best method to clean the excess poison off of him and treat the burns.

Manami dumped the cold water carefully over her teammate, starting at his feet and working her way up. The water and surface poison ran off of the shinobi, seeping into the ground below as the kunoichi worked her way up to his face. At his face, she set the bucket aside once again and wiped her face with her upper sleeve before continuing. The rag was retrieved as she carefully cleansed the shinobi's face, making sure not to miss any spots and not to disturb the burns.

Once he was clean, the medic smiled and wiped the sweat from her face once again. "Not exactly how I pictured spending my birthday," she muttered, throwing the rag into the empty bucket; she would have to burn the cloth and sanitize the bucket anyways. Now the problem was that the shinobi was in a sopping wet uniform, in a cold tent. With a resigned sigh, the medic reluctantly undressed the man.

When his top half was undressed, his eyelashes fluttered as he slowly regained consciousness. "Where… where am I?" he coughed trying to sit up. The medic placed a firm hand on his chest, laying him back flat.

"You're in the medical bay. Yoichi was kind enough to bring you back, after you passed out, for treatment," was Manami's stern reply. "You were poisoned and are now recuperating. You'll be weak for a day or so, possibly less."

"Then why are you undressing me instead, _Pantsu-Sensei_" he jested, closing his eyes.

"Just because you're no longer poisoned doesn't mean that you aren't a candidate for pneumonia, especially after I soaked you in cold rain water to get the remnants of the poison off. I really don't feel like dealing with that, so you're getting a change of clothes and a dry blanket to lie under." Manami's fell upon deaf ears. The shinobi had once again passed into unconsciousness.

"Well… he can't say that I did not warn him," Manami sighed as she finished undressing Yuudai.

Once undressed, he was toweled off thoroughly and draped in a clean gown. One disadvantage of being small was when her patients were much larger than her. Manami dragged the examination table from the other enclosure and placed it against the occupied table, making sure it was braced.

Rolling Yuudai towards her and ignoring his genitals, the medic placed a towel under him, folding it carefully. Then she turned him away from her, bracing his body with her elbow to avoid him rolling off the table or onto the next examination table. Straining, Manami quickly yanked the bunched up towel flat underneath him and rolled Yuudai back onto his back. With the towel beneath him, Manami would now be able to easily transfer him to the other table by sliding him with the towel. She did so quickly taking care not to rupture his burned skin before removing the towel and covering him with clean blankets.

The shinobi sighed in his sleep as the kunoichi checked his temperature. It was normal. Satisfied, Manami grabbed the glass jar containing the poison and brought it to her desk, where she started the process of separating the poison from the taijutsu specialist's genes to make an antidote. The kunoichi knew she wasn't particularly great at this part of medical treatment, her expertise lying in treatment and surgery but she would get at least three treatments from this amount of poison.

The kunoichi worked diligently, eyeing her patient every once in a while or watching when Yoko or Koji's ears perked. After two hours had passed, the ninken leapt to their feet, tails erect and listening carefully. Manami paused in her work to see what had prompted this reaction.

Koji's tail started swinging rapidly as he bounced on his back legs, "They're back! They're back. They're back. They're back!"

A sigh of relief passed from the medic's mouth, a smile forming on her lips. If the team was back, that must mean that the mission was a success. Standing, Manami brushed her uniform straight, and took one last glance at her patient. He was still unconscious. Manami's lips pursed as she walked to Yuudai's side and placed a hand on his forehead. Still no fever. 'Excellent,' she thought as she exited the bay, jogging at a light pace to the medium's tent. She applied chakra to the orb just as the team met the barrier.

Koji bounced from the tent yipping the entire way to greet the medic's teammates, while Yoko waited patiently for the kunoichi. The wiry hound pressed his nose into the Manami's palm, catching her attention. "You did well today."

Manami rolled back her shoulders and cracked her neck, "Well… I better go and inspect the damage," she mumbled, patting the hound's head.

* * *

Thank you for the continued support and the reviews from **_xLilim, XscouselondonerX,_** and**_ invisible-gurl__._ **They were and are still much appreciated. I would also like to mention that I am still looking for an interested beta for my story, if interested message me.

If you have any questions, feel free to message me and as always, Constructive criticism and reviews are **greatly** appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own Naruto and his associated articles; only my OCs.

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Squadron Hatake returned mostly unharmed; a broken nose and some cuts were the extent of the team's injuries. The entire group was weary and most suffered with a heavy chakra drain that only time would heal. While treating Namazu's broken nose, Manami learned a vague account of what happened.

The squad had managed to eliminate their outer targets with ease, but the planned detonation had gone awry leaving the team with few options. Akio had stepped in and performed a fire jutsu. It had been somewhat effective but because everything was wet, it had only activated a small portion of the planted tags. This had resulted in an all-out battle. Hearing the explanation, Manami was quite surprised that none of her teammates had died. They had been outnumbered five to one, but had returned with minor damages.

Afterwards, she checked on Yuudai again. Since he remained without fever, Manami deemed it wise to move him to his own cot to continue his recovery. Shuji, who shared the tent with the taijutsu user, was kind enough to move the tall man back to their tent despite being on the verge of physical exhaustion himself. Alone in the medical bay, the kunoichi was able to focus her time into finishing the antidote. It was late into the night when she completed the task.

Early on the following morning, unfamiliar voices brought Manami out of her light slumber. The kunoichi grabbed a kunai for defense and slid out of her cot slowly. She inched her way to the tent's entrance and glanced through its opening.

In front of the main tent were twenty men she had never seen before, wearing the Konoha insignia. Manami hastily dressed before heading directly for the medical bay. It was none of her business why the other shinobi were there and she didn't feel like interacting with strangers.

In the medical tent, she started the process of cleaning up the aftermath of the day before. Beginning with her desk, she worked her way into the examination rooms. The grass where the remnants of the poison had seeped off the table was dead. It was no surprise; grass was easily killed by foreign contaminants. However, Manami made a mental note to inform the taichou of this event. It would cause trouble if that poison were to weep into ground water. As the medic was sanitizing the equipment, Sakumo entered the tent.

Manami briefly looked up from her work. He walked around the tent giving a once over. "I haven't been in here since when Sho first started to set up the bay…" Sakumo started trailing off as he inspected the shelving. "You've changed the configuration here."

Manami grunted in response without looking up from her work.

"Yuudai is awake now. Looks a little worse for wear, but he says he feels fine. I would imagine that he doesn't feel as good as he says though; he is notorious for accepting his injuries as a sort of punishment." Sakumo stated, seating himself at the eighteen year old's desk.

"Normally you don't try to make small talk Taichou," Manami replied, throwing her rag into the bucket, "What's on your mind?"

Sakumo smiled and leaned back in the camp chair, "Very perceptive of you Manami-san. I've come to inform you of some… changes." Manami's stomach dropped. That pause didn't sound like good news. The captain continued, putting the medic's doubts to rest, "It's nothing bad. We're not leaving you behind, if that's what you were thinking. The team is going to head out sooner than we previously thought. There are five teams en route to relieve our team and take command over the area while we proceed to another location. I have yet to tell the rest of the team, but I know you have more work to do around the camp before you would be ready to move."

Manami blushed, "Thank you for informing me. I need to take care of in restocking the medical bay, but beyond that I have no worries. My main concern lies in whether or not Yuudai is ready to move. He was badly burned, and his skin was quite sensitive."

Sakumo nodded, considering the medic's words, "Yes, I see your point." His brows furrowed in contemplation, "There is a chance we could leave part of the team behind until Yuudai recovers and then have them join up afterwards. Would you consider leaving your ward to another medic if it comes to that?"

Manami nervously nodded, "If they were well enough equipped, I-I should see no problem in that."

"Good. I'd rather not leave you. You need the field experience. We'll speak again soon, when the team is back from scouting. Good work yesterday, you did well."

Sakumo left the kunoichi flustered with his comments. Manami knew she did nothing worthy of praise. Working the barrier didn't make her a hero and Yuudai's poisoning had been more of an inconvenience than a life-threatening injury. Manami really didn't understand the captain's need for praise. Perhaps Yoko was trying to get back into the kunoichi's good graces by playing up her involvement. Frowning, the kunoichi finished her work in the medical bay with renewed vigor.

Afterwards, the kunoichi paid Yuudai a short visit to ascertain his true condition. He was a bit on the lethargic side and had gained a fever sometime in the night. With a frown, Manami ordered the shinobi back into bed and ordered him not to remove himself under pain of tying him to it. That threat backfired as soon as it came out of the medic's mouth, earning a smirk and a quick comeback from the taijutsu user.

Things went quickly from that moment on. As more shinobi troops poured into the area, Sakumo ordered the barrier dismantled and organized the camp into a smaller semblance of the main camp. Tents cropped up quickly and duties were divvied out to the new troops, leaving Squadron Hatake free to prepare for moving. By the afternoon, two medics had arrived with the influx of shinobi. Manami, being the first medic in camp, was declared head and left to show the newcomers the bay's set-up and their first patient, Yuudai.

The two medics were quick to take up their duties, convincing the kunoichi to rest and finish packing. Glumly, Manami accepted, knowing that she still had a bit of packing to do before Sakumo summoned the team to the tent to brief them on their next mission and who would be staying behind with Yuudai.

It was well into the evening before Sakumo called for the team. Koji was his usual energetic self, bouncing about the kunoichi's confined quarters as she reluctantly tied the Konoha hitai-ate around her head. She had managed not to wear it the entire two weeks of her stay, but it was obvious that she wouldn't be able to continue the practice as the team moved. Deep down it still hurt to wear another's insignia. It felt like she was losing a part of herself when she did.

The meeting was fairly short and simple, Manami knowing the situation that the team was in. Otomaru Yuudai would be left behind, as well as Komatsu Shuji, Oonishi Takeshi, Hyūga Jirou and Uchiha Yoichi. This ensured that there would be at least two Jounin present when the team departed to meet up with Sakumo once Yuudai was healed.

None of the team seemed upset by the change of plan, as the discussion moved on to their next move. They would be moving to the south along the border until they reached the northern point of Kuwa no Kuni. It was another tactical spot where Konohagakure would be building a base in order to easier invade the countryside surrounding Amegakure. It would be a day and a half worth of steady running through enemy territory with an extra day added if they chose to head back and go through Hi no Kuni instead.

Their departure time was set for early the next morning. Sakumo informed the team that he would make the decision about their route and notify them in the morning. The team was dismissed soon afterwards so they could get a good night's rest.

When the morning came, Manami was prepared. Unlike the last time, her field uniform fit snuggly, the kunoichi had adjustments made to the size. The shoulders were brought in and the sleeves hemmed for a better fit. Her new hitai-ate was tied securely to her head and her quarters broken down, making room for incoming supplies. It was a little strange. The medic had grown attached to the confined space over the span of half a month.

Her eyes swept the tent one last time, making sure she hadn't missed anything while packing. It was clean. Shrugging the large scroll of medical equipment onto her back, Manami pushed her way through the narrow passage for the last time, exiting the tent into a pleasant morning fog. The rain had let up late in the night, replacing itself with a dense fog.

The weather reminded the kunoichi of her home in Uzushiogakure. Fog was a common occurrence there. After a long night in the lab, Manami would climb the tall buildings of her village in the morning and watch the sun rise. The fog would make the landscape appear to be high in the clouds, like it was situated high in the mountains instead of on a relatively flat island.

But the reality was, that this wasn't Uzushiogakure and that this fog would hinder the group's progress to their new destination. Moving silently through the haze, Manami found her group positioned just outside of the original camp. All the members were gathered, though only seven were dressed in their field attire. Yuudai was supported between Shuji and Takeshi, Yoichi and Jirou standing off to the side. Koji leaped over to the kunoichi, while Yoko slunk his way from behind the captain, letting out a lazy yawn.

"Ah, here's the Manami-san, punctual as usual. Jun, please relieve the medic of her load." Manami watched the nineteen year old approach, unconsciously holding the strap of the scroll a little tighter. "Sorry Manami-san," Sakumo started, sensing the eighteen year old's discomfort, "I'd like to make you less of a target by moving the focus onto someone else. I meant to discuss it with you before, but it must have slipped my mind."

Manami accepted that whether or not she wanted to give up the scroll, it was simply best to just follow orders. It was just general medical supplies, and not her own articles. Those were stored in the pouch at her hip. Slipping the strap over her head, the medic handed it to the brunette in front of her, overcoming her short fit of anxiety. Koji licked her hand, to comfort her.

"I've elected to take the shortest route through enemy territory. Speed is our priority and avoiding any unnecessary stops is our goal. I will be sending word once we arrive at our destination to determine how the second team follows. If there is minimal resistance like I hope, you will follow the same way next week. In the meantime, Yuudai focus on recovery and do everything that the medics instruct. The team needs all of its members together to be the most effective. Remember who you fight for and what you fight for. We will all meet again soon. Squadron Hatake…" Jun tapped Manami's heel, bringing attention to his feet; they were covered in chakra. The kunoichi quickly did the same, catching onto his subtle hint. "SCATTER!"

The team launched itself into the obscuring fog, leaving the encampment in a fast paced sprint. The squadron was easy enough to follow, but the lack of practice made the Manami feel a bit on the clumsy side. Realizing this made her more determined to keep up. Namazu flanked to her left, Daichi and Daiki to her right. Sakumo and his ninken were to the front with Akio and Jun to the back. The formation felt natural to the kunoichi; safe and supportive. With a determined smirk, the kunoichi fell into a relaxed run.

The pace continued over the next twelve hours, the fog slowly burning off as the day continued. The humidity spiked making the air uncomfortable. It was like swimming in the air of a hot spring. This didn't slow the group though. Being out on the move was a refreshing change for Manami after being cooped up for so long. After the twelve hour mark, Sakumo forced a half hour rest in order for the team to replenish their energy and catch their breath.

Finding the covered clearing near a small river seemed like a stroke of miraculous luck but upon further thought, Manami gathered that this had been the taichou's intention all along. He had been making slight corrections to their course over the last half hour. Perhaps he had been here before. The team quickly dispersed, some leaving to take care of nature's call, others including Manami going to fill their canteens with fresh water.

The dogs, overheated from the run, jumped into the water downstream full heartedly, splashing quietly in the cool water. The ninken wouldn't be doing such a thing if the water wasn't safe, the canine species being very adept at identifying poison. Dipping her bottle into the river, Manami wistfully watched the scene unfold. Bojū caught a small perch in his mouth, waving his trophy in triumph before Keikai tackled him into the water. While Bojū tried to fend off his blue merled friend, Yuuto claimed the prize as it tried to slip away unnoticed into the water. This in turn caused both collies to jump Mastiff to exact their revenge.

Manami giggled at the hounds' antics, capping her filled bottle.

"They can make anyone forget that a war is going on," a warm baritone interrupted, making the kunoichi jump in surprise. While watching the dogs play, the silver haired leader of the group had appeared next to her, filling his own bottle. Unwillingly, Manami colored, embarrassed that she had been so easy to sneak up on.

Sakumo smiled at her, the lines in his soft mouth becoming slightly more pronounced. "Did I surprise you?"

The kunoichi shook her head, trying to ignore her racing heart, "No, my mind was simply not where it should have been at that moment."

The captain nodded, capping his own canteen. "You've done well so far today for being inactive. I was worried that the pace would be a little too fast to start out with. Akio convinced me of otherwise and was proved correct."

"Thank you Hatake-Taichou," was Manami's soft reply as she avoided eye contact. Climbing to her feet, the medic gave a nod of acknowledgement before trotting back towards the group that had returned. Namazu offered a field ration that Manami waved off, showing that she had her own. Soon, they were back on the run, making massive headway to their destination.

Their progress followed the same way, with a half hour rest at the eighteen and thirty-two hour marks before they reached their destination. Despite a close-call, in which Sakumo ordered a sudden halt to miss a squadron of twenty plus enemy shinobi, the trip had been uneventful; no fighting had occurred. Manami deemed this was a good thing, as the team was still somewhat exhausted after the last skirmish.

The work didn't stop there though, as Manami was immediately tasked with setting up tents with Daichi and Daiki. They worked against an incoming thunderstorm that had formed as they reached their location. Sakumo and Akio were busy setting up another barrier to keep them out of sight, while Namazu and Jun worked to clear the area. The ninken were also made useful, digging the camp's latrine.

The wind started soon after, ripping through the camp with a piercing cold gale. The tents flailed against the wind, threatening to fly off of their stakes as the rain started in heavy sheets. A shiver shot through Manami as she finished tying down the last tent, soaked to the bone by horizontal rain.

Lightning struck a tree just beyond the camp's parameters. Manami hesitated before Namazu grabbed her by the arm and drug her into the Taichou's quarters, where they had stashed their extra supplies from the rain.

The dark skinned shinobi handed her a towel, as he started to dry himself off. Daichi and Daiki were already, in dry clothing. Their wet clothes were laid out flat on the ground. Jun appeared through the flap, immediately shutting it behind him.

"Namaiki-chan and Taichou are still setting up the barrier, so they are going to be a little while," he reported as he started to peel off his dripping clothes. "Best get into dry clothes Namazu and Hamano-san; it's going to be a long night."

Namazu nodded as Manami nervously fidgeted. There was nowhere for her to change in the tent that would be private. She wasn't embarrassed by her body, but it was her personal preference to change in privacy. Knowing that wouldn't be an option here, she pulled her packs from the pile and proceeded to a corner where she could at least have a little privacy. The kunoichi unsealed her camp clothes and started to get dressed. There was a rustle behind her. Namazu stood politely looking away, holding a towel to cover the kunoichi's body from view.

The medic couldn't help but smile as she muttered thanks. Manami was quick in changing clothes and relieving Namazu. The wind howled against the tent, shaking the stiffened canvas in its frame. It would be a long night, but they had been lucky to have such mild weather comparably when they traveled. Manami shuddered at the thought of having to travel in full gear in this storm.

The night passed slowly but the team kept dry by staying overnight in the Taichou's tent. The group settled with their packs and blankets around the large tent, all exhausted from the combination of weather and travel. The ninken squeezed in wherever they could. Koji curled around the kunoichi's head, his nose touching her's while Yoko lay to her left side.

The next morning, the birds chirped loudly greeting the shining sun. It was an oddity, Manami thought, after spending close to three weeks without seeing the golden globe. Quietly, she exited the tent, aware that her movements were known to her half-asleep teammates. She allowed the ninken out of the tent then secured the flap into place. Manami circled along the border of the camp. The rain from the night before had created giant puddles around the camp, and the tents had held despite the rain and wind. Koji and Yoko paused at the same time to sniff the air. Their ears twitched forward and their tails became erect.

"There's a messenger bird circling just west of the camp. It's one of ours." Yoko reported, his ears still twitching, "Urgent carrier. Fast. And I think it's looking for us."

Manami nodded, "We'll go get it then. Koji, inform the captain of the bird and prepare for our return. We shouldn't be gone for very long."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Yoko asserted as Koji started towards the tent. "Perhaps we should wait for Akio-san or Sakumo; we _are _in the middle of enemy territory after all."

Manami patted her weapons pouch, confidently. "If it's urgent, it's best we send the first shinobi available to retrieve it. The longer it circles, the more noticeable it will come. The sooner we leave, the faster we can get back. And I'm not completely helpless."

Yoko yawned, "If you say so. But _don't_ say I didn't warn you." The wiry ninken growled as he followed after the eighteen year old. She exited the barrier and headed west.

It didn't take long to locate the messenger bird. With quick instruction from the ninken, Manami was able to call down the hawk and receive the message. It was addressed to the captain. With bird secured , Yoko and Manami headed back to the camp.

As they approached, Manami felt the tug of the barrier's power urging her retreat. It wasn't as strong as the last time. Mind focused on Yoko, she slowly overcame the feeling but not before she almost collided with the barrier itself. Yoko gripped her free arm tightly in his mouth, pulling her away from the barrier.

"You need to pay attention to my cues," Yoko barked as he released the medic's arm. "Running into that chakra wouldn't be pleasant. You'd be knocked out for quite some time."

Manami mutely nodded, refusing the urge to nurse her bitten arm.

Yoko howled and they were admitted into the camp to be met immediately by the Taichou and team. Her teammates seemed to be on the groggy side compared to their silver haired commander who looked ready to scold the kunoichi. Before he could, Manami pushed her hand presenting the unopened scroll.

"Yoko said it was urgent, Taichou. I brought the bird along in case you needed to reply." Manami conveyed as the message was taken from her possession.

Sakumo nodded, looking at Yoko for a moment, "This is true, but next time I would prefer that you wait. The area hasn't been scouted so we don't know where the enemy may lie. Reflect on this. You are the only medic in our midst and it would be a major inconvenience to the team if you were to be injured or disposed of."

Manami remained silent and complacent. She understood, but rather than argue, she waited for the contents of the scroll to be revealed. As Sakumo read, his eyes hardened; whatever the message was couldn't be good news. With bated breath, the squad awaited the news.

Sakumo reread the letter twice. After the second time through, the captain raised his hand to his brow and rubbed his temples as he contemplated the letter. "There has been trouble along the border with the civilians of Ame no Kuni. They don't want to be caught in the crossfire of our struggles, but they refuse to leave even with the war looming on the horizon. A nearby team has convinced one of the villages to leave, but they are in need of help to move. This is where we come in. The team will be moving out of the area to assist another and Hokage-sama has ordered our team to assist in getting these civilians out of harm's way.

"It's short notice, but we will be leaving as soon as possible. Jun, you'll be staying here. Manami, you'll be coming with the team. Prepare any medical supplies that you may need and dress in field uniform. The rest of you know your duties. You have ten minutes before we move out. I'll take the hawk in the meantime to confirm orders with Sandaime-sama." Sakumo stated, holding out his arm for the bird.

Manami released the straps that kept the bird latched to her arm, watching as it easily hopped between the two shinobi. With a nod, the medic was off to sort out the supplies she might need. She doubted that there would be a need for any supplies beyond the normal bandages and ointments. Moving a group of civilians wouldn't be easy but depending on their age and level of fitness there could be a lot of sores from walking long distances.

Slightly annoyed, the kunoichi prepared her pack, trying to keep the supplies to a bare minimum so that the camp's stock wouldn't be drastically cut into. Knowing noncombatants, they would be slower than usual because of their emotional attachments to their homes. Some might even be weighed down with unnecessary baggage, like large family heirlooms. Manami had participated in a similar mission as a genin, moving citizens from the coastline during tsunami season. A particular old lady and her gigantic hope chest hung in the back of Manami's mind making the medic shiver in distaste. She was convinced that this endeavor would be very similar.

The team was dressed in their field attire and out of the tent by the time Manami finished her preparations, leaving her to get dressed on her own. Relieved, she exchanged her camp clothes for a dry set of field clothes. The ones she had worn the day before still drying on the ground in the corner. She finished by tightly securing her Konoha issued hitai-ate around her forehead, flattening her braided hair. She exited the tent, joining her teammates.

Sakumo led the team out of the camp at a pace that was akin to the one they had on the way to their camp. The ninken split off from the team immediately. Koji, Yoko and Kane shot forward disappearing into the trees. Yuuto and Bojū were off to the left, Keikai and Tsuyoi vanishing to the right. Bakkin and Haaku were flanking Sakumo and the medic could hear Horitsu somewhere to the back.

The formation was similar to the one they had taken the day before, Sakumo to the front, though Daiki was to her left and Daichi remained to her right. Akio and Namazu took up the back, effectively putting the medic in the middle of the group. This could both be a blessing or a curse. Potentially, Manami would be the last person reached in this formation, but at the same time it made her the most vulnerable. She had little room to maneuver if an attack were to rip through the group. Because of this defect in formation, the kunoichi put herself on a high alert, preparing to move if the need arose.

As the day lengthened and the team approached their target. The clouds quickly accumulated, the air growing heavy with humidity. The weather was so volatile that the kunoichi wondered if there was a jutsu was influencing the fluctuations. It would be something she would pounder at a later time, when her mind wasn't preoccupied. The clouds were a deep gray when Sakumo signaled a halt, the ninken appearing around the group.

The team gathered, hands manipulating weapons. They were at the peak of alertness. Yoko came forward, speaking under his breath, "The village is completely silent, as far as we can tell there hasn't been a sign of life for at least half the day, the scents have faded but there is a smell of blood in the air. Can't be sure if this is wildlife or not, but it is coming from the south."

Sakumo nodded, pointing to Daiki and Daichi. "Take Haaku and Kane and circle to the far side of the scent. Keep on guard in case this turns out to be an ambush." His voice was a bare whisper as he directed Akio and Namazu to quickly scout the surrounding area with the rest of the ninken. Manami's eyes met Sakumo's as he gave out his next set of orders, "Manami, you're with me. Be on high alert; we're going to investigate the site directly. Don't make a move without my order. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Hatake-Taichou."

"Good. I will use the usual signals to inform the rest of you as the situation becomes clearer."

The team departed to their specified locations while Manami and Sakumo made a direct route to the south as Yoko had described. Sakumo held his hand up as they approached a clearing, the air becoming rank with the smell of blood. Manami's mouth grew dry as she peered around the trees, searching for the source of the smell. The area seemed to be an untended pasture, the long grass and leftover wheat growing tall and unruly. From her current vantage point, Manami couldn't ascertain the cause of the scent. Sakumo hand signaled for the kunoichi to follow him.

The duo descended from their perch in the trees and cautiously entered the dene, bodies and senses alert to their surroundings. The smell became stronger as they approached the center, the long grass concealing the source. As the kunoichi stepped, she felt the ground roll beneath her sandal strangely. Curious, she lifted her foot back, revealing a leaf pile. Sakumo had also stopped to watch as Manami parted the leaves. Startled, she dropped her finding and stared at it in shock. It was an adult's ring finger.

Hands shaking, the kunoichi picked up the finger and examined it closely. "Clean cut," Manami started, throat dry, "suggesting a high velocity swing from a sharpened weapon. The angle shows a linear swing, telltale of a skilled user, shinobi or samurai. Judging by its current state it's only been… detached from its owner for about an hour."

Sakumo nodded, processing the information, before letting out two shrill whistles. Keikai and Bojū appeared through the grass, awaiting Sakumo's orders. The silver haired shinobi held out his hand as Manami handed him the severed digit.

"We need to find the owner of this finger," Sakumo grimly stated, holding the digit out for his ninken to smell. The two collies sniffed the finger, before they started to circle the clearing. The only sign of their presence was the parting grass.

Manami waited patiently, hands inching towards her weapon's pouch on her hip. The wait felt agonizingly slow, before the ninken bayed, signaling that they had found the source. The duo landed next to the ninken, to the left side of the field. Their faces where completely somber. This meant one of two things. They had either lost the scent or-

Sakumo nodded and the dogs started to dig, ripping apart the terrain with ease. They hadn't dug for long before they uncovered their first body. Or what was left of it. Through the loose dirt, a child's face appeared. The skull was shattered beyond recognition other than its size, the jaw completely torn from it and half an eye hanging from a socket. The worst part was that it still maintained the rosy complexion of the recently deceased.

An overwhelming feeling consumed the kunoichi as she stumbled back a step. And another. Her head was swimming as her body started to dry heave uncontrollably. Turning away from the scene, Manami fell to her hands and knees as her body tried to force her vacant stomach to empty its contents. It was a painful feeling, having her insides contract to force nothing out and she was in too much shock to focus and stop herself. Her throat burned heavily as her stomach finally grasped bile and forced it out of her system. The yellow bile and phlegm pooled on the ground as the kunoichi struggled to catch her breath.

Sakumo was at her side then, placing a cool hand on the back of her neck as Manami panted, wiping away the excess emesis from her mouth. "I'm sorry," she wheezed, her eyes stinging with tears, "I don't… usually… vomit." She was starting to grasp control of her system again, her breath coming more easily as Sakumo soothingly rubbed her back.

The ninken has stopped digging and obscured the dead child from the kunoichi's view. Sakumo had performed some kind of clone jutsu, so whether the one rubbing her back or the one standing at attention observing the field was the real one, the medic didn't know. Manami straightened from her hunched position, her breath finally caught, but her head was still light and disorientated. It was a very strange feeling to have.

"You don't have to be sorry." Sakumo moderated, removing his hand from the eighteen year old's back. "I would expect as much from an acute stress reaction. This hasn't been the first time I've witnessed something like this." He paused, swallowing his words, "and it probably won't be the last." The term acute stress reaction swam through Manami's head as she wondered where she had heard it before. Recognition slammed into her moments later, it was another term for psychological shock.

Manami had thought herself somewhat immune to shock after witnessing trauma many times during her tenure in the hospital. Searching her memories she realized that the majority of autopsies and treatments had been on shinobi, adult and child alike. But never a civilian child. Shinobi were meant to protect those who couldn't protect themselves.

It was an unwelcome shock to the system as Manami finally found the strength to stand. She had no room to argue because he was correct. There was nothing that she could do about the stress reaction, but now, she would know to guard herself against such scenes in the future.

"Does that mean that we are standing on a mass unmarked grave?" Manami whispered, staring down at the dead child's face. Her stomach was calm now, calm but feeling like an unfillable void.

"Most likely," Sakumo answered, as his clone covered the child's face once again with the loose dirt. His voice was strained, his fist clenched.

"Well. Well. Well. What have we here?" A slimy voice called. Manami's hand went into her weapon's pouch as she turned, Sakumo gripped her arm before she could remove a weapon. He wanted her to wait; she relaxed her grip on the kunai and withdrew her hand from the pouch. Sakumo let go in return, watching as a group of Amegakure shinobi melted away from their hiding places.

Manami instantly recognized the group. They were the ones that the team had passed by the day before while they were traveling. The least armored shinobi stepped forward brandishing his sword as if it were as light as a feather, resting it on his shoulder. Undoubtedly, he was the leader of the group and an overly confident one at that. Manami felt the clone and ninken shift behind her, assuming a guard position at their back.

"Konohagakure? Come to play a little bit of cat and mouse on the enemy's territory? Tsk tsk tsk. You must know how horrible of a mistake that is, hm? I mean, you know the risks, though those poor poor civilians that you convinced to leave didn't though. I don't think they thought it through before betraying their homeland. They paid the best they could though, with _their lives._"

"So you admit that you were the ones that massacred a village full of defenseless people?" Sakumo asserted, casually shifting his weight. His eyes were focused on the leader with a hardened gaze that didn't match his body language.

"They couldn't have been that defenseless if they had chosen to abandon their own country. They served as an example though, to show the rest of the idiots in this land what happens when you try to betray your own country. I imagine that they will be less willing to help you in the future now that they know Konohagakure will simply abandon them to the slaughter. Now," the shinobi swung his sword across his body, pointing it at the duo, "If you would be so _kind_ as to answer a couple of our questions, we promise to give you an easy death, just like the civilians."

"I think we're going to have to decline your offer." Sakumo answered, switching his stance. "I'd hate to be rude, but you're going to be the ones that will be asking for an easy death by the time we're finished here." The captain reached over his shoulder, freeing the tantō from its holder, holding it horizontally in front of his body.

This earned a hardy bark of laughter from the leader, "Oh yes. I'm shaking in my sandals from the threat of a toothpick wielding old man and a ten year old boy. You've chosen the wrong route to your death. Men, kill the tall one and try only to maim the boy. I'm sure he'll be more susceptible to our… delicate persuasion after we beat it out of him, hm?"

"Stick closely to my clone, Hamano-san." Slipped out of the Taichou's mouth as the enemy shinobi descended upon the Konoha and Uzushio shinobi.

Manami's hand slipped into her weapon's pouch producing a set of kunai. Three were thrown, blocking the kunai that had been thrown at her. The fourth stayed in her hand to block the rest. The clone's back pressed against her's as Sakumo darted past the enemy brandishing the tantō expertly, aiming for the leader. Manami was fast to counter any attacks directed at her as the clone did the same behind her. Bojū and Keikai covered their master, serving as distractions against the shinobi that tried to get in the silver haired shinobi's way. Manami helped the canine, throwing shuriken as the dogs dove at the enemy. This proved to be more than some could handle as the shuriken dug into their flesh of some.

Their enemy was not as experienced as they had been led to think as Sakumo reached the leader, engaging in a fight with kenjutsu. He was fast, though the enemy's leader was proving to be just as skilled. Manami dove out of the way of an attack, as an Amegakure shinobi engaged her in taijutsu. Another had anticipated her movement and struck from behind, aiming for the kunoichi's vital organs. The clone was quick to counter, but the force of the attack caused the clone to disperse. Manami dodged away, hands forming a replacement seal as she was struck.

Manami dispersed into a puddle of water, leaving the shinobi momentarily confused. Taking the opportunity that was presented, Manami killed the first shinobi with a kunai stabbed directly into the brain stem. It was a messy ordeal, as the kunoichi retreated with bloodied kunai in hand. The enemies that had hung back, sprang forward enraged by their comrade's death. Eight enemies enclosed Sakumo, his tantō locked with the longer blade.

A shout froze in the kunoichi's mouth as ten armed shinobi descended upon her. Suddenly, the ground collapsed beneath her. As she fell into a burrow, the Taichou's ninken sprung out behind the enemy. Manami dove farther into the tunnels, gaining cover as weapons embedded into the ground she had occupied. Chakra formed in her hands as she replaced herself back into of the trees above ground.

Akio was now at the Taichou's back, fending off three shinobi, four bodies at his feet. Namazu was close by, engaging the remaining enemy that had attacked the taichou. Daiki and Daichi were engaging six of the enemy, four more on the ground in addition to the one Manami had killed. The twins were pushed back, their swinging range limited due to the number of enemies. Manami watched as Namazu dispatched his opponent before helping Akio overcome his.

Sakumo was still engaged with the leader. Their fight was moving away from the group and from the sight of the kunoichi. In a last ditch effort, one of Daiki's enemies threw an array of explosive tagged kunai at the captain, hoping to free his leader from the fight. Daiki cut him down just as the kunai released from the shinobi's hands, speeding towards the unaware captain.

Manami reacted instantaneously, appearing in the middle of the battle, in the path of the explosive tags. She recognized the seals on the tags as they were commonly used by many shinobi; a tag that reacted to sudden impact to detonate. Her right hand was covered in chakra as the medic sloppily poured water from her canteen over her left. As the tags flew past, Manami pressed her hands over the seals, dissipating the chakra from the seal with one hand before grabbing it with the other. The kunai jerked as their momentum was ceased and the tags made useless.

Manami smiled, relieved that that her knowledge of fuinjutsu had finally paid off. While it was extremely dangerous to mess with, it felt natural after being drilled repeatedly by her sensei as a genin. If she were better at it like her teammates, she could have absorbed the seal instead or reset it and threw it back at the enemy. She was satisfied with her handiwork. The enemy wasn't nearly as happy.

One of the shinobi engaging Daichi separated to engage the kunoichi. This particular opponent wore a heavy mask and breathing apparatus primarily worn by those who worked with poisons. Bracing herself, Manami dodged to the side of the shinobi's attack, watching as the shinobi dug his heel into the ground forcing his momentum back towards the kunoichi. It was a blinding tactic, as a chain released from the back of his arm guards. It was spiked and dripping with unknown toxins.

Manami replaced herself with a thick log, the chain catching in its thick bark. The chain strained and then released, as the Amegakure blocked an attack to his blindside, his arm guard facing the kunoichi's face. Just before impact, Manami recognized the fuzzy ridges against the guard as needles. The full attack was taken to the face, the kunoichi cried out before dispersing into a puddle of water.

The Amegakure shinobi searched wildly for the missing kunoichi. Judging from the rise of his chest, he was in the middle of a very potent adrenaline rush. Manami watched the shinobi disguised as a kunai. If she could maneuver him closer to her puddle, even a step her jutsu would be successful. She doubted that would be the case as the enemy's eyes were now focused on Akio.

Taking the risk, Manami released her transformation jutsu, hands flying through seals as her opponent became aware of her. His body leaned forward, his arm raising as he prepared to sprint. One step. Two. His foot landed just past the puddle as the kunoichi released her jutsu. "Suiton: Kappa o kōsatsu!"

The water snaked up his leg, catching the Amegakure shinobi unaware. He tripped from his momentum. That was all that was needed. The water poured over his body, restraining his hands and body engulfing him from head to toe. He let out an enraged yell as the water seeped into his mask, drowning out the sound as well as the shinobi. He convulsed in the water.

"_Kappa no kawa nagare,"_ Manami murmured as she felt the shinobi's life slip away. She released the jutsu, eyes drawn back to Sakumo's fight.

The medic's eyes widened as she realized that the leader had gotten away from Sakumo. He stood above her, his sword slashing down. Manami lost all feeling to her body, knowing that she was about to die. It was true what they said, that your life would flash before your eyes as your time came. It was an out of body experience as she watched the blade descend, a white flash of chakra breaking through the enemy's body. The blade was severed but its trajectory was aimed at the defenseless kunoichi.

Suddenly her body moved, but not of her own accord. Dodging to the side, the blade grazed her arm stinging harshly as the leader's torso split apart sputtering blood across the kunoichi and the captain. Sound returned to the kunoichi in a deafening roar the broken katana planted into the soft ground beside her and Sakumo let out a sigh of utter relief. In his hand, his tantō blazed with a white chakra, the sound of static electrifying the air.

The foreign force persisted a moment longer before Manami collapsed on the ground, unsure of what had happened. Namazu was at her side immediately, hand covering the wound as he yelled for a medic.

Akio was a couple of feet away with a tired smile, hunched over, his hands resting on his knees. "I did say that a woman wouldn't be any good on the front. Look at you, trying to keep up your cool appearance opposed to keeping your life," he miserably chuckled.

Manami smiled back, feeling a bit hysterical as she realized that she had survived. "They didn't even think I was a girl," she argued back, pushing the worried tan shinobi away. Her arm stung, as she pressed her hand over the wound. She stopped the bleeding and started to heal the laceration.

The battle had ended, Manami's eyes gazing around the clearing. The team had received unexpected reinforcements from Konoha. Ten fresh shinobi stood in the clearing fast at work sealing the defeated enemies into scrolls for later.

"What happened? I _should_ be dead." The kunoichi stated, looking between Namazu and Akio for the answer. Manami didn't believe in luck and she knew that her body wouldn't move completely on its own for no reason.

Namazu clapped her shoulder, turning her attention to the three men who were conversing with Sakumo. One was a blond, another brunette and the last a red head with the kanji for food across his chest plate. Manami gave a confused look, demanding explanation. "That was the technique of two of the prominent clans in Konoha. The Nara Clan's Kagemane and the Yamanaka's Shintenshin. If not for their fast reaction, you would be dead."

Realization came to Manami. She had heard of the Ino-Shika-Cho combination from her father when she was young, as he recounted her grandfather's participation in the warring states. He had fought allied with the three joined clans for several skirmishes and had seen their extraordinary teamwork. As a child, it had been one of her favorite stories to hear and now she had felt what it was like to be processed by such jutsu.

Akio appeared before the kunoichi, offering his hand. "Well? Do you want my help to stand or not? It's not every day that you get to touch an Uchiha that doesn't want to kill you."

"Don't act so aloof, you just don't want to train another medic after you've worked so hard at keeping this one alive," Namazu butted in, also offering his hand to the medic.

A smile engulfed the kunoichi's face, as the stress of the battle washed away. Taking the offered hands, Manami made the realization that maybe being part of a team full of inconsiderate childlike men wasn't actually that bad. Especially when they all acted like older brothers.

* * *

Kappa o kōsatsu- roughly means Strangling the Kappa

kappa no kawa nagare is a Japanese expression that translates to "a kappa drowning in a river" meaning that even experts make mistakes. I decided to leave it in its original text as a stylistic choice.

Thanks to **Prescripto13,** **XxBishxX** and **xLilim** for their reviews and all of my readers for their continued support. It is greatly appreciated and I couldn't do what I do without all of you. As it stands now, we are over a third of the way through my current outline of the story. My plan is to update once every two weeks on Wednesday (if at all possible) and to try to finish the story before my wedding in August. Wish me luck!

And as always, critiques and reviews are greatly appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own Naruto and his associated articles; only my OCs.

* * *

Time passed quickly after kunoichi's first battle. Learning many things about herself, Manami was constantly on the move with the team, establishing the front lines. Squadron Hatake was a well-oiled machine that incorporated the medic into the system with ease as the kunoichi slowly became accustomed to moving and fighting battles that she previously would have thought impossible to win, scenarios that any sane chuunin would _hypothetically_ avoid at all costs. But the Uzushiogakure medic quickly learned to expect the unexpected.

Her performance in her first battle caused a swift change in procedure as a medic was deemed an irreplaceable asset to the team. While Manami was now allowed to participate in scouting missions (and the ensuing battles), she was never left on her own. One of her teammates was always in the immediate area so support her in case she was overwhelmed by the enemy. She was now also to be regularly trained by her Jounin level teammates when her duty as a kunoichi or medic didn't impede her. Increasing her evasion and defense were their main concerns.

She had never worked so hard in her life, Manami decided after nine months with the team. In Uzushiogakure, she had trained with all her being to reach her level of expertise but it didn't come close to training with an Uchiha who could analyze every single one of her moves and make her practice the same motion until she could do it without wasting any extra energy with unnecessary movement. Manami knew better than to complain, but it didn't change the fact that she felt on the edge of exhaustion for the first six months.

The training wasn't for naught. Manami could feel the difference in her reactions and in her body. She moved much more smoothly between positions and her speed increased. She spent many nights nursing her bruised body, frustrated with her level of combat and quietly cursing her smug teammate who made it a point to taunt her when he saw her.

Their most recent move had been the hardest to date. They moved deeper into Ame no Kuni, getting closer to their hidden village. Despite the enemy's decreasing numbers, their shinobi continued to persist, removing more of Konohagakure's numbers as their leader finally emerged from his village. Hanzo was proving to be the most dangerous of enemies, moving quickly and destroying regiments of shinobi faster than they could be replaced. His summon only made matters worse; there were no known cures for the toxic fumes it produced.

From their latest reports, the man was clear across the country, closer to the border of Hi no Sato. This was as much of a relief as it was a problem. A strategically planned strike on the enemy's base could bring the upper hand to Konohagakure, but the cost of such a maneuver was not guaranteed. With a Hyūga on hand, the process had been made easier, to observe and confirm their numbers but security was tight. There was a constant stream of shinobi entering and leaving the city, making it difficult for the team to get close enough for an accurate count thus delaying any movement from the Konohagakure shinobi that waited Squadron Hatake's report.

The weeks dragged on as the team inched closer to their goal, but never gaining access to the hidden village. Tension built amongst the team; they were full of energy but without an outlet to pass it.

To relieve the team, Akio took it upon himself to coerce Manami into 'fighting' outnumbered and against different opponents under harsh circumstances. This included fighting with only three weapons on hand, fighting with only one hand, fighting blindfolded, fighting sleep-deprived, fighting without chakra, fighting with only chakra all while training with him afterwards.

After a particularly difficult session against Daiki and Daichi, Manami collapsed into her cot exhausted. Her body ached from the exertion Akio put her through. While she knew that the tall Uchiha wasn't doing it on purpose, the medic couldn't help but feel that he was picking on her.

In her mind she argued that it was just nerves getting the best of her, but the fact remained that she had never had a full day to recover from the strain on her body. Exhaustion was normal in war and yet it shouldn't be a constant strain. Normally troops that were on the front were often relieved and brought behind their lines to recover before returning.

Aching, the kunoichi drug herself from her bed and started to change out of her soaked clothes. The rain had been nonstop for eight weeks, a highly unusual feat even during a rainy season. If it had been colder, they would have been buried under several meters of snow by now. Throwing her clothes over the crude drying rack that she had constructed from some leftover supply crates, Manami donned field clothes. Her two sets of camp clothes were dirty, leaving her with little options.

Koji entered the tent just as Manami finished dressing and sat patiently against the tent's entrance. The medic disliked the smell of wet dog. His ears dripped with water as he looked up her, waiting for her attention.

"Did you need something?" she asked snappily, throwing her vest onto the cot. It hit the side of the cot and slid onto the floor, much to the kunoichi's chagrin.

"Taichou needs to speak with you in his tent. He said as soon as you were available," the hound responded looking questioningly at the kunoichi as she picked up the vest in a huff.

" him I will be there in two minutes." She muttered, grabbing hold of her sandals. Koji exited as she took a deep breath to smooth out her nerves. She really didn't need any punishment for showing sass. Unlike Akio, who constantly questioned the captain's decisions, the kunoichi wouldn't be able to get away with such discourteous behavior.

Sandals on feet, Manami braved the rain to the captain's quarters. Inside Jirou and Akio were working hard at a pile of scrolls, translating the coded messages. The newest code was only a week old and needed to be hand deciphered upon arrival. The message coding had been changed twice over the last month, as messages were intercepted and broken by the enemy. The current one had two sets of encryption making it harder to decode.

Jirou looked up briefly from his pile of scrolls as she entered. Akio didn't so much as twitch. He had six thick scrolls and there were an additional pile of ten waiting on the inner corner of the table. Manami had missed a messenger. There was no way that the Hokage would have sent this amount of scrolls with a summon. They would have had to have been sealed into a scroll. The medic's ears picked up soft talking in Sakumo's private quarters. She put her hands behind her back and waited at attention.

Sakumo emerged from his sleep quarters, followed by a familiar face. Despite her emotional training, Manami's face broke into a wide smile as she recognized her year mate, Kenji. He looked a little worse for wear, his gear soaked through and his face tired, but that quickly changed when he spotted his fellow Uzushiogakure comrade. The taller shinobi pushed past the silver-haired captain, picked up the small medic and hugged her tightly.

"I told you, you wouldn't get rid of me _that_ easily." He smiled, squeezing the petite kunoichi tightly.

"Put me down you idiot." Manami demanded, though his smile infected her usually calm demeanor. It had been a long time since the medic had seen anyone from her home village or had even heard from them. It was a refreshing feeling to meet one of her year mates after nine months.

The red haired shinobi complied with the kunoichi's wishes, setting her down onto her feet. His grin didn't dim as he looked her over, as though he was searching for any discrepancies with the smaller woman's physique.

Satisfied with his findings, he ruffled her hair and turned to Sakumo, "I see you've been taking good care of our imouto-chin. As talented that she is, she's a reckless handful if you don't watch her properly." Manami's elbow dug into her year mate's side, as she gave him a highly reproachful look. "You see? She doesn't agree with me, so she resorts to violence to silence me. You'd think that a medic would know better than to cause damage to her patients let alone comrades. But you really should have known her when she started to use her fellow year mates as guinea-"

Manami slapped her hand over Kenji's mouth, silencing his trip down memory lane. His eyes met hers, a glimpse of mischief gleaming in their deep grey depths. Manami's eyes narrowed in response, daring him to continue.

Sakumo cleared his throat making Manami break eye contact with Kenji and drop her hand. Her behavior was highly unprofessional for this setting. With her attention on him, Sakumo continued his line of thought, a small smirk on his face, "I thought you would be happy to be informed that one of your year mates was in the vicinity. Hamano-san and that he would be with us for a short while as we work on translating these messages. Seeing as you have been progressing quite well in your training, consider today a small reprieve from your duties."

"Thank you Taichou. It is much appreciated. Are there any other duties that you may need of me in the meantime?"

"If a situation arises, I will duly inform you. You are dismissed."

Manami bowed slightly to her captain, before quickly leading Kenji out of the tent. She was practically dragging the red haired man as she made her way to her quarters. Throwing open the tent flap, she shoved Kenji inside and secured the flap shut. Turning around, the medic buried her face into the man's vest, feeling the wet material squish against her face.

"Miss me much?" Kenji laughed, stroking the medic's hair.

"Oh shut up. I've been having a bad day." Manami retorted into his clothes, squeezing a little tighter.

"What? Is the rain making your hair frizzy?" Manami stomped on the man's instep, making him grunt from the pain, "Okay, okay. Calm down. I'll stop teasing you. Yeesh."

"Idiot," Manami murmured, releasing the fuinjutsu user from her grip. Looking him over, she frowned, "You've grown again."

"You noticed? It was only three centimeters. I ached for weeks and thought it was just the wet weather and overexertion." Kenji replied as he started to peel off his wet clothing. "But lo and behold! They made me do a physical after a particularly bad hit to the ribs and surprise! They informed me I had grown again. Though most of their medics seem to be kids with a scalpel and a book on anatomy; you should see the set of stitches they gave to Momo. Looks like a three year old was playing connect the dots." Manami scooped his wet clothing from the floor as the fully nude shinobi pulled a scroll from his supplies. "That being said, how's it been with you?"

Manami threw the pile of clothes onto her desk and started to wring out the excess wet, "I can't say that I have a place to complain. I didn't expect it to quite like this, especially being on the front lines." She hung his shirt from the frame of the tent, moving onto his mesh undershirt, "I've been kept on my toes, a couple of close calls here and there, that sort of thing."

"That's not what I've heard." Kenji replied, slipping dry pants on. "I got word about that incident with the village from a couple of months ago. That was a rookie mistake if I've ever heard of one."

Manami slapped his undershirt onto the bar next to the shinobi's shirt and turned heel. "I don't want to hear _you_ of all people talk to me about close calls Kenji. As I recall, you've had an extraordinary amount of mistakes to date. The scars on your torso can confirm that." The medic jabbed her finger at a particularly nasty scar over the man's pectorals.

"Alright, I've got no place to talk relatively speaking, but I'm just voicing Soujin's opinion. Don't flail the messenger." Kenji replied as he started to wring his clothes along with his year mate.

"You've seen Soujin recently?"

"Manami, I see _everyone_ more often that I want to, except for you. Your team is one of the hardest ones to track down let alone get to. The next closest camp to here is a day and a half's run through enemy territory."

"Then why did you come here idiot?"

"Because I thought you would like a break in the monotony." He chuckled, "As a messenger, I hear a lot of news from the front. Your team is one of the biggest sources of gossip, did you know that? A _lot_ of ladies are jealous of your position here because of _'all the dreamy men you get to work with on a daily basis'_." Kenji swooned onto her cot for emphasis, earning an eye roll from the medic.

"Liar."

"Oh, alright. So I made up the last bit but there is a lot of talk about your team. You've been a very busy medic if the reports are true."

"I suppose." Manami shrugged, throwing the last of his clothing onto her drying rack.

"Ah, don't start clamming up. I can see you are troubled. Start talking." Kenji started, patting the cot beside him.

Manami ignored the gesture and pulled the chair from her camp desk and sat down. "It's nothing like that. I just…" She fought with herself to say the words, "I just feel homesick." Her reply came out more of a murmur, but Kenji understood.

"Ah."

"It's not all the time. Just sometimes. And recently, the work feels like it's been piling up faster than normal, not that I'm complaining, I just get caught up in the moment and urgh!" She flopped back in the chair and threw her arms in the air. "I didn't expect to be put on such an astonishing team. I thought I'd be hanging back in the main camp, processing injuries back into Konohagakure or something."

"Instead of gallivanting on the front lines and establishing a reputation as trouble?" Kenji laughed, nudging the medic's foot with his own. "And if I'm correct, this is the first time you've talked about it with anyone?" Manami glared at the red head in response. "I take that as a yes."

"Well it's not like I could just drop everything to go and gossip with you and Soujin. I didn't even know what I was doing until I was doing it."

"And you were too shy to talk about it with your teammates? So you suffered in silence for these past nine months. You must really be a masochist.."

"I'm not that bad." Kenji raised an eyebrow. "What? I'm not."

"Deny all you want, but you are one of the shyest people I've ever been acquainted with." Kenji responded, lying across the medic's cot. "So… you want to talk about where you got all those bruises?"

Manami looked down at her arms, which were black and blue. "Oh these old things? Maybe my hair's been turning white from all of the stress, so I've taken to using hair dye to hide it."

"Come on now, if these guys are giving you a hard time, I'm not above doing a little talking with my fists." The red head cracked his knuckles for emphasis.

"You don't need to go that far. I've been receiving some extra lessons to compensate for as you so eloquently put it 'making a rookie mistake'," She gestured to the bruises, "These just happen to be the result of said training, though I've improved quickly."

Kenji gave the kunoichi a skeptical look, "I don't know how much I believe you. Why not heal it?"

"I did in the beginning. I found that erasing the signs of the fight just made Akio hit that much harder. At this point, I don't really feel the bruises. They just exist." She rolled down her sleeves to cover her arms.

Kenji's lips tightened, knowing that his year mate was lying but he not to push the subject. He made a mental note to have some words with this 'Akio' before he left.

"So," the kunoichi started, "tell me about your assignment."

"Where do I start? Well, I guess I'll start with after you left on your assignment. You see, Soujin and I-"

The afternoon progressed quickly as the Uzushiogakure shinobi exchanged their stories of the last nine months in the field. Manami didn't find her endeavors nearly as interesting as Kenji's, learning that Kenji had been assigned as courier immediately moving messages between Konohagakure and the main camp and escorting new shinobi.

He was moved into active duty after the previous messenger had been killed while delivering decoy documents. It had been unfortunate turn of events that resulted in Kenji's promotion to the front line. Having skills as a top class tracker and fuinjutsu user made him a prominent candidate for the job. He quickly adjusted to the workload, moving through enemy territory and finding his destination with envied ease. The red head had the tendency to over exaggerate, stating that Sanshōuo _no _Hanzō had chased him for important documents pertaining to a surprise attack.

Manami told him to save his stories for when the war was over and wanted to impress a gullible civilian with his tall tales. Kenji rebutted that all Amegakure shinobi looked alike when they wore respirators and that she didn't know that it hadn't been Hanzo on an extremely off-day.

The longer they talked, the more Manami could feel the tension melting away. Her mind and body were the lightest than they had been in the long time. As dinner approached, Daichi ducked his head into the tent and caused himself whiplash realizing that the medic wasn't alone. After Manami made sure he hadn't caused himself irreversible damage, he informed the two shinobi that their dinner was ready.

Manami and Kenji met the twin in Sakumo's tent for a very lively dinner. Kenji garnered the men's attention, filling them in on recent events along the front, while Manami drew into herself. She didn't mean to, it was habitual at this point. The red headed shinobi was quick to remedy the problem by telling fictitious tales about his comrade's youth with Manami jumping in and correcting his stories. The team was surprised to see the medic being talkative let alone smiling for that matter. She was always quiet and solitary, speaking only when spoken to.

Namazu was glad to see the woman finally coming out her shell, though the fact that she needed her year mate to do so was a little concerning. Maybe, he thought to himself as he finished his cold miso soup, the captain could arrange for a couple more visits from the courier. In the nine months that he had known her, this was the most progress he had seen. If being around a familiar face was the key to her happiness, he didn't see a problem in making it a common occurrence.

After the meal, Manami and Kenji retired to the medic's tent to continue their conversation. When Manami failed to hide a yawn, the red headed shinobi insisted that since it _was_ her first day off in nine months that he wouldn't be mad if she chose to catch up on some sleep rather than continue to bore him with lackluster conversation. Manami's response was to throw his still damp mesh shirt, and smiling when it hit him in the face with a wet slap. In the end, she drifted off into a restful slumber Kenji mentioning that he wanted to check on the progress of the translations.

Manami was shaken out of her slumber by Kenji, who was dressed as if he was ready to move out. His face was grim causing the medic to sit up quickly. "What's wrong?"

"Plenty. You that you need to put on your reconnaissance gear and meet with Hatake-san in his tent in no less than ten minutes. I need to move out soon if I'm going to make it back to base camp."

"Base camp? But that's easily a three day run from here." Manami uttered, worry marring her face.

"Two and a half actually. I have to go. You can expect to see me more often though. I'm making it my personal mission to get all of the scrolls that you morons need and deliver them. Don't die until I see you again."

"You too idiot," Manami replied, clapping her hand on the red head's shoulder. They lingered for a moment, before Kenji pulled away with a smile. A quick wave and he was gone.

Manami wondered what had happened, as she selected a scroll from her desk drawer. It was a rare occurrence use the reconnaissance gear on this team and even rarer for the medic to use it. She unsealed the never used clothing; it was still as stiff and starched as the day it had been handed to her. She honestly had thought that she wouldn't have to use it.

Once she was changed out of her camp clothing, Manami gathered supplies, unsure of what she would actually need. She took her general supplies, praying that the taichou would let her pack more if they weren't up to par. She spread her scrolls across her cot just in case, so she could grab and go if that was the case.

Manami darted across the camp to the Taichou's tent. The camp was eerily quiet, even for this late at night. Inside the tent, one lamp was lit and Sakumo stood contemplating a map ; it was of the Kaze no Kuni border. This didn't bode well.

"Did you sleep well?" Sakumo asked as he rolled up the map. Manami watched closely as he secured the scroll shut and placed it into his hip pouch. Seeing that the kunoichi watched, the silver haired man gave her a weary smile.

"Yes."

"Good. I'm sorry that I couldn't guarantee a day off. Duty has called. The scrolls that were delivered by your Uzamaki friend contained orders from Sandaime. Sunagakure has finally made their move against Konoha and Sandaime tasked me with of splitting our forces to best counter their movements while maintaining our original objective here.

There will be three teams. The first team will be infiltrating their lines and attacking from behind to eliminate the biggest threats. The second will be a decoy to draw their front line into an ambush by our forces and the third will be remaining here to continue observations of Amegakure."

Manami nodded slowly, following Sakumo's explanation.

"You will be coming with Akio and me. We will be crossing behind enemy lines. This calls for us to travel lightly; no extra gear, shelter or homely commodities, just the bare essentials needed to fight and survive. Pack your gear and meet here for further instruction. Akio should be back from his last patrol by then. Keep in mind that this trip may span over the next three to six months. "

"Yes, taichou," Manami replied with a bow, before taking her leave. Three to six months of reconnaissance? The medic felt her stomach turn, her nerves affecting her mood. She definitely had not expected this to part of her career as a medic. Treating injuries and saving lives, maybe even performing autopsies but certainly not working undercover behind enemy lines with just two people. She was certain that her skills were needed elsewhere on the lines and yet she was about to immerse herself in a business that she had little skill in.

In her tent, the medic deposited her pack onto the desk and rifled through the contents. Obviously, she wouldn't be allowed to take large pieces with her, so she could get rid of many of the supplies that didn't serve more than one purpose. Extra clothes wouldn't be necessary either, the medic thought. Kaze's weather was less prone to constant rain and she doubted that she could have the leisure of lounging during this subversive mission.

While the medical bay was fully equipped, Manami decided that taking her supplies own would be enough; they were already sealed into two specific scrolls. Her problem came about when she had to decide whether or not to take along her blood supply. She felt that any injury that required a transfusion would result in death. The team would be unable to stop to perform such a procedure. But, the nagging feeling persisted, so she packed it if only for peace of mind.

Slipping the last of her materials into her pouch, Manami gave her tent a once over. There wasn't much that she could do with her clothes still drying on the rack. The rest of the tent was in order; her things packed away in the corner. The medic ran her hands over her body, checking her supplies, hands landing at the forehead protector on her head last. She adjusted it out of habit and exited.

As she returned to the taichou's quarters, Manami wondered how the rest of the team was going to be split up. In her mind, it seemed the obvious choice to leave the Hyūga here to continue to gather information, but he was a chuunin, so there would need to be a jounin here as well. Perhaps Namazu. Daichi and Daiki would be kept together as they worked best as a team rather than apart and they made wonderful distractions. Both were headstrong and, in her opinion, had a lack of self-preservation. They tended to dive headfirst into a situation without thinking it through.

Yoichi was a toss-up; he could be with either team and be an asset. Shuji was a long-range fighter, so he would be useful at either team. Jun would be best in the ambush squad. He was a very unassuming opponent though he sometimes came off as pretentious. Takeshi would be better off in camp due to his earth based jutsu and Yuudai would pose to be an advantage in an ambush.

When she reached the tent, Manami found it bare of inhabitants. The taichou was gone and Akio was nowhere to be found. The medic paced the tent . Manami stopped, hearing footsteps approaching the tent. From the impact and the rhythm of the steps it was clear to her that it was Akio. The tall Uchiha entered the tent, shaking the water from his unruly hair. He was dressed in the standard reconnaissance gear, the water sheening off the thick water resistant fabric. His looked well-used unlike the medic's, showing precise patch jobs all across the legs and torso.

"Ah, Ma-Hime, you're already awake? I thought taichou would let you keep sleeping for a while. It's not like the line was going to disappear if you got a full night's rest. If that was the case, this war would have over before it even started." The lengthy shinobi collapsed into a camp chair and looked over the kunoichi critically. "So you think I'm going too hard on you?"

"What?" Manami snapped back, unintentionally.

"So you think I am working you too hard with our little training exercises?" Akio repeated, with the intention of pushing on the medic's nerves. "Or did Kenji also take your hearing when he decided to inform Hatake-taichou that we were abusing you?"

Manami's face turned red as her blood pressure built. "I would _never_ say such a thing," she hissed.

"Really? Because I was under the impression that you told your red headed friend that we regularly beat you to death and then brought you back just to do it all over again the next day. At least that's what he implied when he pulled me aside earlier." Akio retorted, "Perhaps you would like to clarify? You're coming off as an ungrateful little bitch that doesn't appreciate her team."

"Shuji likes to over exaggerate." Manami stated calmly. She wasn't going to give the Uchiha the pleasure of knowing he was dangerously close to making her snap. "We discussed my bruises for a moment and then moved on. I honestly can't tell you what prompted him to confront you other than that he is an honest fool. He didn't mean any harm and I apologize if he offended you."

Akio stared at the kunoichi before breaking out into a smile, "He didn't actually say most of that. Thought I'd see how you'd hold up against blatantly harsh accusations." Manami gave the Uchiha a withering look but he shrugged it off. "I needed to reassure myself of some things, please don't take it personally. It'll be a bore if you don't talk to me while we're on this mission. That Uzamaki guy really did try to tell me off though. It was kind of cute. Is he always like that?"

"Yes."

"At least you have someone looking after your interests. I'll never understand why you don't come to me for girl talk. I thought we were best friends."

"I promise to think of you the next time I start my menstrual cycle."

"I take back everything I said."

"That's what I thought."

The conversation fell into silence afterwards. Akio lounged in the chairs with an uncaring attitude and Manami continued her pacing. She stopped after she realized that Akio was watching her. Sakumo entered a short while later, with Yoko and Bakkin following behind mutely.

"The debriefing took a little longer than I thought it would," Sakumo declared, throwing open the barrier to his personal quarters. Manami watched as the silver haired man grabbed pouches from his cot and strapped them to his person. "We're ready to move out?"

"Yes, taichou," was Akio and Manami's immediate response.

"Excellent. The enemy has set traps around the area. We will be going single file order with the Yoko and Bakkin in front. I will be next. Manami, you're behind me and Akio you're bringing up the back. Focus is on speed and remaining unseen. Suppress your chakra the best you can. There are many sensors in the area. Step only where I step and pay close attention for my signals. It'll take about two days straight running to reach our destination, so don't expect many breaks. Understood?"

"Yes."

Sakumo led the way out of the tent. Yuudai, Takeshi and Jirou were present to see them off. The trip was agonizingly slow the medic becoming accustomed to staring at Sakumo's back. He was easy to follow and gave many indications of his next move. He was naturally agile. They moved quickly from deep in Amegakure to the border between the two countries. It was lightly guarded with very few Amegakure shinobi present. Whether it was an oversight was unknown to the kunoichi.

As they traveled into Kaze no Kuni, the trees receded and the humidity dropped off drastically. Instead of the mild and muggy winter, it was now dry and unpredictable. The sun warmed the deserted landscape quickly during the day and dropped below freezing at night, the sand refusing to retain any heat. Manami started to miss the weather of Amegakure as the group started their third week in the desert. She was also peeved at how the sand managed to find its way into everything the kunoichi owned.

It wasn't long before the team found their intended target. After observing them, Sakumo ordered them to fall back to set-up a temporary camp of their own, close enough to easily gain access to observe the enemy, but not close enough to be easily stumbled upon. Akio built a shelter for the team, digging a hole into the die of a dune and solidifying it with an earth jutsu he had once observed. It was crude at best but it would serve well as a place to hide.

The team quickly established a routine. After the sun set, the two jounin would set out towards the enemy's camp, while the kunoichi would scavenge for food and water. The enemy would send out patrols towards the border, though it was becoming more common to send them to also scour the surrounding area. This made it difficult to scavenge close to their site. If plant matter started to disappear and was deemed unnatural, the three Konoha shinobi would be in trouble.

The team had survived on snake meat for the last three months and an occasional but rare rabbit making its way into the mix. Another staple was rat. It was the least pleasant thing to cross the kunoichi's lips; the meat was stringy and eating a rodent was a sanitary nightmare. Scorpions were also an acquired taste. Manami missed the taste of plain rice. With a resigned sigh, the kunoichi set out in the opposite direction of the enemy's camp in search of food.

The temperatures dipped gradually that night, a teasing warm breeze playing with the kunoichi's beaded hair. Even the sand seemed to be retaining its heat better; it was a sign that summer was soon approaching. Manami dreaded the thought. She was certain that it would be hotter than Konohagakure, but instead of finding relief under the shade of a tree, the kunoichi would have nothing. Even their crude shelter, grew uncomfortably warm during the day.

Manami was a good ways away from their camp when she started to scavenge for that night's dinner. It was hard to judge exactly where to start due to the constant wind. The sand blew and was quick to cover the tracks of prey. In most cases, such as tonight, the kunoichi would start by looking for any rocky overhangs or boulders buried in the sand: places that were likely to conceal reptiles and insects that wanted to hide away from the intense sun during the daytime. It was also a good place to look for signs of moisture. If one were able to dig deep enough, it was easy to find water in the desert. But the exertion involved with such an activity would kill you. Manami understood this, but as a Mizu user could overcome this. In her opinion, it didn't take a genius to extract water from the earth, just the concentration and chakra reserve.

It didn't take her long to find the first half-buried boulder. It was sizable and probably outweighed the petite woman by a ton or so, but it was a good place to start. Manami pulled a kunai from her hip pouch and approached the boulder confidently, circling to find an exposed ledge. On the north side she found the entrance she was looking for. In the slivered moonlight, she knelt and started the tedious motion of digging. Being alone, the sound seemed tremendously loud, as if she were shoveling coal into a furnace rather than moving handfuls of sand.

After digging for a while, a snake launched from the folds of sand at the kunoichi. Manami reacted, planting her kunai directly into the snake's brain, killing the serpent instantaneously. This precise kill would insure that the venom sacs in the snake remained undisturbed and unbroken. The medic would be able to make an anti-venom using the enzymes found in said venom.

The snake writhed about in the sand dead but nerves still firing as Manami removed the kunai and continued her digging. It was a female viper and it was the beginning of this particular breed's mating season. She had been the busy little snake, judging by its body. Typically vipers gave live-birth, but this snake was one of the few special cases and laid eggs. Eggs, even if they were snake eggs, would be a delicious alternative to the shinobi's diet.

With a bit more digging, the eggs were found and deposited into the kunoichi's pack along with their dead mother. There had been no water to be found in this location however. With her sandaled foot, Manami kicked the sand back into the crevice she had created hiding the signs of her presence. Clapping the sand from her hands, she contemplated her next move. She had two hours before she was expected to check in with Akio back at camp, so she couldn't go much farther without being searched for and wasting the team's time.

The wind picked up, bringing a cool breeze to the kunoichi's face. Her lips to pursed. Even when the night was cool, the wind wasn't normally. The horizon was obscured and hard to see in the moonlight, but judging from what she knew of the region it was likely that they were experiencing a cold front, the likes of which could produce a sandstorm. She hadn't personally experienced a sandstorm, but from what she had heard, it wasn't something that one wanted to be caught unaware in.

Even if she was early, she'd rather have Akio's opinion on the matter. Dusting sand from her clothes, Manami turned back towards the camp. As she traveled back to the camp, Manami slowly became aware that someone was following her. She hadn't even sensed them; it was by a stroke of luck that the medic had seen a flash of light reflecting off the sand. It was gone the moment before she could comprehend what it was.

She kept her path, mind racing. Manami wasn't sure when they had started to follow her. There was an off-chance that they were an ally looking for the team, but there hadn't been any communication from the base camp since they had arrived. In her mind, it was without a doubt, an enemy. She scoured her mind for a solution while expanding her field of awareness to find the 'enemy'. It was clear to her that she couldn't let them track her back to the camp ,anyone with half a mind would wonder where a lone kunoichi had come from, especially this far behind enemy lines.

Manami turned her course, heading into the wind. They would either think she was leading them to her camp or that she was stupid, running into a potential sandstorm. The odds were in her favor. She would force their hand causing them to reveal themselves and whether they were friend or enemy would be determined.

The plan was good in theory but Manami had yet to detect their presence as they were outside of her range. The medic ran along a dune, the moonlight fading behind a thickening clouded sky. Clouds in the desert were not a good sign. Her eyes adjusted to the near pitch black conditions when a sudden wind whipped through the air, causing the medic's hair to rattle noisily. Manami tensed from her hair's jangling, leaping away from the dune in an attempt to escape her last known location.

It didn't work. Out of the darkness came a barrage of weapons. The sound of clanging filled the air as Manami blocked the projectiles with her kunai. Several grazed her clothing without cutting but two found their mark in her arms, a kunai caused a deep gouge in her right arm and a shuriken embedded through her left arm guard at the forearm. With a grunt of pain, the kunoichi landed on the dune's far side, feet sliding through the sand as she released the chakra that kept her astride.

In the near darkness, two shinobi appeared upon the top of the dune, a man and a woman. In the dark, she could see the outline of their armor. It was the enemy. Without moving her eyes from the duo, Manami pulled the embedded star from her arm. It was then, that the shinobi weren't quite sure what they were going to do with her,. Their words were muffled from where Manami was standing but the man's fingers twitched in a strange pattern, almost like a tic. It dawned upon the kunoichi in the last moment exactly what was happening.

In a flash, the kunoichi drew three tagged kunai from her thigh holster and threw them at the enemy. Two explosive tags and a generic summoning seal were attached. The couple dodged at the same time Manami did, deflected kunai and shuriken flying at the medic. Manami's left arm jerked back, pulling her towards the projectiles. The explosions of the tags disrupted the pull, freeing the kunoichi's hand long enough for her the form a seal.

The post explosion the medic appeared, as the super-heated sand burn into her clothing and exposed skin. It was a hard sensation to ignore, but her survival depended on it. One or both of her enemies were part of a specialized sector of shinobi that only Sunagakure possessed, the puppeteer squadron. She knew the theory behind the technique and knew that blocking bodily would only result in chakra threads connecting to the body, but she also knew that it was a long ranged technique, relying heavily on distance to ensure safety.

This did little to reassure the kunoichi. Though her taijutsu had improved thanks to her mentor's guidance, Manami doubted that she would stand a chance in a fight against strong puppeteer users. The best she could hope for was to distract them long enough for her teammates to find her, though that was a far-stretch. The risk would be on her. She was at a severe disadvantage in a long fight so she would have to take one of them out before her advantage of the element of surprise slipped away. She just hoped that the backlash wouldn't be too bad.

Manami flipped her hold on the kunai in her left hand, gripping two of the beaded braids in her right. With a quick sheering stroke, the medic cut away two of the braids, absorbing the chakra stored in the braid and beads into her right hand. Her hands clapped together forming a flurry of seals as the absorbed energy came to a rest in the pit of her stomach. With a deep breath, Manami released the chakra in her stomach and exhaled a torrent of water.

Manami could hear a cut-off curse as she finished her technique. Before her, as the shield of sand from the explosions cleared, lay a sizable pond, like an oasis in the middle of the desert. By her estimates, she had about five minutes worth of water before it was completely absorbed, five minutes to immobilize her enemies and only half of her chakra to do it with. At her feet laid her two braids unraveled, the beads split in half, the insides charred from the chakra's release.

Her water summoning had managed to catch the female shinobi, part of her left side was soaked and she appeared to be out of breath from the impact. Hovering over her protectively was the male who unraveled a scroll. Even in the dark, Manami could decipher the basic summon design. So this was the puppeteer.

The clouds rolled back, lighting the landscape as Manami went on the attack taking her advantage. The man released the scroll, a puppet appearing in a puff of smoke as Manami dodged pass the device, aiming at the shinobi's winded companion. The man was surprisingly fast, wrapping his arm around the female's chest and leaping away, while his fingers twitched, the strange puppet coming to life, swinging its scythe arms at the medical kunoichi.

Manami was quick to dodge, with a backhand spring away from the puppet. In mid-retreat, she threw another pair of tagged kunai, one at the puppet and the other at the retreating pair. The first kunai missed its target, as the puppet rattled angrily between the second kunai and its target. Its mouth opened, a chained hand shooting out of the orifice to take hold of the thrown explosive. The chain tightened as the puppet's head twisted, swinging the explosive tag back towards the kunoichi.

Manami had expected as much, leaping forward to meet her tagged kunai. While it appeared that she was deactivating the tag, she had truly never activated it in the first place. Instead she activated it at that moment, planting the kunai into the ground. The other kunai had been active and exploded upon impact. The puppet was quick to follow on its pervious attack, throwing itself at the kunoichi with a renewed vigor.

From the explosion, another Manami appeared heading for a direct attack against the unsuspecting Sunagakure shinobi. With his attention briefly off of his puppet, Manami slapped a tag onto the underside of the bladed arm before dispersing into a puddle of water as the blade cut through her form. The female enemy was finally recovered as she swung her naginata from behind her back. A swing of the long bladed weapon put a quick end to the water clone she had sent to distract them.

Biting her lip, Manami contemplated her next move. Putting the puppet out of action would solve a lot of her immediate troubles. She decided to stick with her gut feeling; she simply needed to maneuver the pieces to the proper position. A minute had already passed and nearly a forth of her original supply of water was gone, soaked into the desert floor. The longer she waited, the less likely she would be able to survive.

Manipulating her chakra, Manami formed another three clones of water and sent them on the attack. From this distance, hidden on the dune's upper edge, there weren't many effective jutsu that the medic could create. Truthfully, she could try to outrun the duo.

The clones lasted a while longer this time around, managing to move the enemy a bit closer to where she wanted them. Three minutes left until her water supply would be completely absorbed. The chakra needed to create the clones was very small but it was still a drain with only half of her chakra still intact, Manami needed to conserve as much of it as she could. Her head swam as her hand touched the deep gash on her upper arm. She had already healed it superficially; at the worst, it would be a painful bruise, so why did she feel so light-headed? And her arm was numbing extraordinarily fast.

Swearing under her breath, the medic realized her mistake. Those hadn't been ordinary weapons. She could feel her muscles starting to seize in her arms as she mentally kicked herself. All that moving around caused the toxin to move all that much faster. She was bad at countering toxins as it was. Judging by her symptoms, the poison was related to tetanus in the very least: skeletal muscles seizing, breathing becoming difficult and nausea. The onset was at a phenomenal speed, they were either expert poison makers or knew one in Sunagakure.

It took all of her strength not to scream, as she forced her arm to reach into her bag of medical supplies. Manami had a quick release shot for tetanus, though she had never thought she would have to use it on herself. Pulling out the scroll, she clumsily broke the seal and grasped at the syringed needle that rolled about on the page. Two minutes until her water supply was completely gone.

Finally she grasped the needle between stiff fingers, her arm was locked up completely. With careful but imprecise aim, the kunoichi stabbed the anti-toxin into her leg as her fingers started to crush the glass. With her free hand, she slammed the plunger down, injecting the serum into her bloodstream before she crushed the glass syringe completely with her dominant hand.

The rattling of the puppet grew louder as Manami desperately formed a seal, to make one last water clone. The clone emerged from the water far below and ran from the battle with the puppet quickly on its heels. Her timing would have to be impeccable; the medic thought gritting her teeth as her muscles slowly started to loosen. She would only have one shot at this. Turning her head slightly, Manami watched the clone dodge away from the puppet's scythed arms, avoiding the blows and bringing it closer to the kunai with the explosive tag. Only a little closer.

Her attention was completely on the clone and puppet that she was caught unaware by the puppeteer's partner. In the slivered moonlight, Manami could see her brown hair against her pale skin. "I'm surprised you're still awake with all those toxins in your veins," she spoke, holding her naginata against the crook of the medic's her neck. "You either have an especially strong will or you have some skill when dealing with poison. I suggest you surrender and answer my questions for quick relief."

"And if I refuse?"

"There are ways to make someone talk, Leaf bitch." Her voice was threatening and calm, not at all matching her hands, which were shaking slightly, holding the staff of her weapon tighter than needed. Fatigue, Manami decided, looking down at her hip pouch. She could feel movement from within.

The enemy tracked her eye movements and pressed the blade against her neck, nicking the delicate skin. "Dump your supplies in the sand," she demanded, steadying her grip on the weapon.

Manami took one last glance over her shoulder as her clone fell into place. "As you wish," Manami replied, unhooking the bulging pouch from her hip.

The clone dodged out of the way of the puppet's swinging arms one last time, sliding under it and kicking the undetonated kunai tag. The heat and sound of the explosion caught the kunoichi off-guard, her weapon erring slightly to give the medic a small opening. In the confusion, Manami flung her bag open, launching the newly hatched snakes and their mother at the distracted brunette.

The Sunagakure kunoichi jumped back, recognizing the small vipers, while swinging the naginata at Manami who had already clumsily escaped her range by rolling down the dune's side. The puppet is destroyed, she thought to herself using the rolling momentum to find her feet and slide through the sand. The heat of the explosion followed by the release of the water tag she had attached to the puppet had instantly melted and then cooled its inner mechanisms, rendering the joints immobile.

Her muscles burned as the magnesium serum pumped into her bloodstream, joints loosening as she continued her offense by attacking the puppeteer. Manami wasn't as fast as she normally was, but she was faster than the Sunagakure shinobi, who fumbled in his bag for a scroll. From behind, she could hear the kunoichi's approach, a fast sprint to catch up with the Uzushiogakure medic. A whistling sound signaled that she had thrown kunai to slow Manami.

Manami narrowly dodged to the side. She was within striking distance of the puppeteer as he pulled a scroll from his satchel. Manami threw a kunai, aiming for the scroll. It wasn't a strong enough as the kunai fell off course. The man, a red headed shinobi, dodged out of the way, and unraveled the scroll to summon another one of his puppets.

The distance between the two of them closed as Manami took a wild swipe at the scroll. The puppeteer was unable to pull the scroll away in time, as Manami sliced through the seal, disabling its ability to summon. She pushed chakra into her feet, propelling herself sideways out of the reach of the enemy's naginata, as the brunette kunoichi descended.

As she landed, Manami's knee gave out, the serum running the extent of its course. She was once again a sitting duck as her muscles and joints hardened. The toxin was quite resilient compared to her antidote, rendering it ineffective. With a pained grunt, Manami found her feet again shakily. With her chakra levels so low, the medic examined her limited options. Her face formed a grimace because all options pointed to her death.

Stiffly, Manami's right hand reached into her leg holster one last time taking a kunai into her hand, while she crunched a ball of explosive tags with left hand. She had failed her team and Sakumo-taichou, proving to be useless as a combative shinobi but she was determined to make sure there was nothing left to glean from this encounter. In fact, after she was finished she would be surprised if anyone would be able to tell the difference between the pieces leftover from the explosion.

The puppeteer and his guard stood defensively, waiting for the blue haired woman's next move. She could feel the blood pumping in her veins as she took in the sight, considering what would be the best way to catch the two Sunagakure shinobi in the range of her explosive tags. Throwing was out of the question; her joints were too stiff for such a maneuver. Her next move depended on her getting close enough to the duo without being incapacitated by the kunoichi's naginata's long reach.

Manami's heartbeat increased along with a rush of adrenaline. The poison was entering its next stage, affecting her nervous system, causing a cold sweat to run down her face. She gulped down a last breath as she gathered chakra to her feet, preparing for her last attack. A flicker of chakra flared behind her, as the medic lashed out in defense. Her wrist was caught, the kunai disengaged. Before her stood Akio, eyes blazing in the moonlight. Relief and anxiety washed over the kunoichi as words failed to form in her mind. Her eyes were starting to tunnel vision, as she struggled to focus on the Uchiha.

"Who are they? Friends of yours?" He started, releasing the kunoichi's wrist. Manami staggered back feeling vertigo. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to concentrate. Akio glanced at her briefly, "What's wrong with you?" His passive voice was laced with worry.

"Poisoned. Their weapons. Covered. Neurological. Antidotes- useless. Male…" She gritted her teeth as her jaw started to lock up, "Puppeteer. Female uses Naginata. Faster than looks. Both Suna… ga..." She could feel a seizure coming as she collapsed to her hands and knees. "Just. Kill me."

Manami blacked out.

* * *

Finally! We have chapter 7 out! I'd like to apologize for how long it took me to get this particular chapter out as my life got a little bit out of control and I underestimated the workload I had opted to take and how my anxiety and depression would flair. Not to mention the power of procrastination on my end.

Any guesses at our mysterious Sunagakure shinobi? Its actually pretty obvious but I like to think its not. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and as an added bonus if you go to my userpage you will see under the extras that I have created a tumblr for the extras to my story! Additional character information is available there and the odd spoiler or two.

Thanks to **Prescripto13,** **xLilim, BananaPrincipessa, and mariposablossom** for their reviews and all of my readers for their continued support. It is greatly appreciated and I couldn't do what I do without all of you.

And as always, critiques and reviews are greatly appreciated.


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